Powerful
by Ganondorf's Daughter
Summary: Ganondorf does not hold the Triforce of power. His teenage daughter, Samantha, does. Atop that, the Hero of Time is her best friend. Ganondorf wants to use her and her power to ruin Link and rule Hyrule, but will she chose her father or her best friend?
1. Chapter 1

"How _ridiculous_! How could this have happened? A child? A _child _with the Triforce of power? Why would the Goddesses do this.. giving such a powerful thing to such a small and unready person.. how is this going to work.." The Great King of Evil looked down at the small red haired girl playing with a stuffed black horse on the floor. She looked up at him curiously and smiled but Ganondorf just looked away, fuming. The little girl went back to playing with her horse, her red tunic tied around the waist with a Gerudo scarf. The bow in the back came loose. Ganondorf saw this and bent down.  
>"Come here, you undid your bow again..." He said softly, tying the scarf. The girl smiled and giggled, holding up the stuffed horse.<br>"Miffy says 'Hi', daddy!" She said waggling the horse, Miffy, in his face. Ganondorf smiled at the young girl. On her left hand, the one grasping the horse, was a small depiction of the Triforce. Three smaller triangles placed to form a larger triangle. The top piece was glowing ominously.

With a sigh, Dark Lord Ganondorf picked up the small girl in his arms and said quietly, "I think it's time to go to bed, Samantha." She frowned, but didn't complain. He carried her up to her bedroom, and bid her goodnight. Ganondorf left her there fast asleep, and went for a long walk. His feet carried him to Hyrule Castle. The white-gray stones of the palace were already fading with the evil magic he had placed upon it. Soon they would be black, and the entire kingdom would be his. Turning his head to the right, he could see the top of the Temple of Time. The young boy, one of Samantha's little Kokiri friends from the forest, had gone in there but not back out.

"Maybe this will work out better then I thought..." He said with a devious grin. Turning tail, he quickly traveled back to Gerudo Fortress, a heinous plan forming in his mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Daaaaaaaaaaad?<em>" A female voice called out. Ganondorf turned around from the spacious organ to see his seventeen year old daughter standing there, her arms crossed. "What happened to the bridge?" She asked. He grind, amused.  
>"I'm fairly sure you broke it last night, Samantha." He chuckled.<p>

She buried her face in her hands and muttered, "Not again." She had a bad habit of accidentally using the magic she inherited from her grandmothers, Koume and Kotake, in her sleep. Blushing, she walked over and sat down on the wide wooden piano bench next to her father, her black floor length Gerudo skirt trailing on the red carpet. "Why is it that I can't control it?" She wondered. He looked down at her.  
>"Why don't you ask your grandmothers?" Ganondorf said, turning around to continue his disheartening song. Samantha sighed loudly and watched his hands move rhythmically over the numerous ivory keys. After awhile, Ganondorf spoke up.<br>"So are you read to take on that task I asked of you? By my best bet, he will be returning soon." He said quietly, she could barely hear him over the music.

Samantha smiled, "Sure am. But, I don't know how well I will do..." She looked down at her hands crossed in her lap. Her father continued playing his tune.  
>She looked over at him, "Maybe I will go see grandma and grandma..." Ganondorf smiled.<p>

"Good." He said simply. Samantha got up and walked out the door, leaving her dad to his music. Sauntering slowly down the spiral staircase, dreading the long walk through the desert to get to the Spirit Temple where her ancient grandmothers dwelt. When she reached the front entrance she suddenly realized: No bridge. Angrily, she stormed off back inside and turned around sharply. Running full tilt towards the spot where the bridge used to be, she jumped over the gap and just barely made it to the opposite side. Mumbling to herself, Samantha thanked the goddesses for her extra strength from her father, and began the long walk to the Spirit Temple. After her long journey she walked up the steps into her grandmothers treasured lair.  
>"Hello there dearie!" she heard someone say behind her. Turning around swiftly, she saw one of her grandmothers, Koume, floating on her broomstick looking curiously at her. Her hair was a live burning fire casting shadows all over the room.<br>"Hello Grandma Koume." Samantha said smiling. Koume flew silently forward and went to Samantha's level to look her in the face.  
>"What is it you are doing here?" She said suspiciously.<br>Samantha looked at her feet, embarrassed. "Oh.. well you see, dad said I should come see you and Grandma Kotake if I wanted to.. you know, learn how to control my.. magic?" she stuttered, wondering how her grandmothers would react to her request.  
>Koume let out a cackling laugh, "About time child! We were getting worried you would never learn to control it yourself! <em>Kotake<em>!" she shouted, calling her twin sister. Kotake floated in, her hair a solid block of freezing cold ice, and looked over at Samantha and Koume.

"So, If I was eavesdropping correctly, you wish to learn how to control your inherited magic?" Kotake said bluntly. Samantha laughed, and Koume looked angrily at her sister.  
>"Do you always have to eavesdrop?" Koume spat.<br>Kotake smiled innocently back, "Yes. But no need arguing right now, we must prepare young Samantha!"

And so it began. The next three nights, Samantha was taught how to control and project her magic. She froze trees with the ice spells she inherited from Kotake. She burnt down abandoned buildings with her fire spells from Koume. And lastly, she harnessed a black magic she inherited from her father, Ganondorf, and cast it at an innocent traveler passing by, knocking him backwards thirty feet from the path he was traveling on. Her grandmothers were ecstatic with glee as they watched their young granddaughter control her family heritage like it was nothing. Eventually, Ganondorf came to see how things were going, and was overjoyed to see that he wouldn't have to fix the castle bridge anymore.

Ganondorf had explained to Samantha a task he wanted her to do one day involving the impending return of the Hero of Time. He said quietly to her late one night while she was practicing: "_Its time. Go now, and I will see you when all is done and through. Good luck, I'm gonna miss you Samantha_." And left her standing there worried.  
>Quietly she walked to the Castle Town, now overrun by ReDeads. As she walked by, she said in a commanding voice: "<em>Stay. <em>And _don't move_ unless _I say_ to." None of them turned to look at her as she spoke, or even moves a muscle as she sauntered slowly by. They were under the control of her dad, and would not dare touch her out of pure fear for their own existence. Samantha went over to the side of the Market, where the staircase used to be, and slowly climbed up the rubble. She sat upon one of the old sale stands underneath the moonlight with a silent vigil. Slow minutes passed, that turned into hours then finally she saw light coming from the doorway of the Temple of Time in the distance. Letting her legs dangle over the edge of the stand, she leaned forward curiously. A figure came out of the temple, walking slowly and carefully, as if they hadn't walked in ages. The figure came into the market area, and stopped suddenly as they saw it was ruled by ReDeads.  
>Samantha laughed quietly to herself. Seeing her friend again after such a long time was somehow humorous to her.<br>"They wont hurt you.. that is unless I tell them to. But, I wont." She said loudly, startling him.

"Huh! _Who are you!_" He said, staring at her in surprise. Samantha frowned.  
>"You don't remember one of your best friends? Shame on you!" She said with lost dignity. He walked forwards, taking care to walk as far away from the ReDeads as possible. When he stood a few feet in front of her, she smiled.<br>"Remember me yet, buddy?" she questioned.  
>Realization dawned on his face, "Sam!" he said cheerfully.<p>

Samantha clapped, "Yes! He remembers!" She hopped down from her perch and strolled over to him. Laughing, she pointed to his hat.  
>"You know, I have never seen you without a hat on." She smiled. His hands flew automatically to his hat. Realizing what he did, he removed his hands and laughed.<br>"And you never will." He grinned.

"So, how do you like new Hyrule?" Samantha asked, throwing her arms out wide. He looked slowly around the dark market place. The ReDeads stood silently, waiting and hoping for Samantha's command to go after the Hero of Time. She didn't give it.

"Its.. lovely?" He said, not sure what answer she wanted. She burst out laughing.  
>"Its so dead! Lovely? Jeez, you sure you didn't hit your head or something while you were away?" Samantha joked.<p>

Link laughed, but stopped suddenly. "Can I ask a favor?" he wondered.  
>Sam nodded, so he continued on.<br>"Well, my memory is a little rusty, and I can't remember for the life of me where Kakariko Village is.. could you show me?" He asked embarrassed.  
>She laughed, "Sure thing!" She turned away to start walking, and he hurried along behind her, freaked out by all the ReDeads moving their heads at once, thinking they could go at him. They wandered out of Castle Town and into Hyrule field. The duo headed off to Kakariko Village, under the maliciously watchful eye of Ganondorf.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

"So is everywhere around Hyrule like this?" Link inquired as they walked towards the village. Samantha nodded in answer to his question. Link inspected everything they passed as they made their way along a dirt path that lead to Kakariko. When they reached the stone bridge that crossed Zora's river, Samantha stopped and looked over into the water. Throughout the years, it became dirty and undrinkable because the Zora's were no longer there to take care of the waterways. The grass on the shores of either side of the river was slowly getting poisoned by the unclean water.  
>They continued on and came to the base of the staircase to Kakariko.<br>"We have arrived.. Maw haw haw haw.." Samantha said, trying to sound eerie. Link rolled his eyes.

"Ladies first." He said, gesturing to the stairs.

She looked up and down the stairs. "Am I gonna be attacked or something?" she wondered.

"No.. Why would you?" Link asked, confused.  
>"Because if I remember correctly it was only 'ladies first' when we were getting into trouble as kids. Remember when we tried to break into the castle? That sure turned out well." She said with a smile on her face.<p>

"Oh, yeah... Forgot about that. And hey, Its not my fault the castle guards only caught you, and not me." He said, and scampered away chuckling. Samantha followed slowly behind him.

When Link reached the village at the top, he noticed that it seemed more populated than before. Most of the people that have lived in Castle Town were now living together in Kakariko. They seemed happy, as far as he could see. Most of them lazed around outside in the clean air, which they could no longer find in their old abandoned homes. Samantha came up quietly behind him as he was staring at the small village. She watched quietly as he took the place in.

"Its still the same place that I remember..." He said lost in memory, and began walking forwards. Samantha followed without saying a word. He sauntered slowly throughout the village, until he stood in front of the entrance to the graveyard. With a deep sigh he walked on, with Samantha still silently following. When he came upon the gravedigger's hut, he turned to look at Samantha.  
>"I have to go and get.. something of importance. You could come if you like.. I don't know if you would like to come, tho. Probably best I do it on my own..." He said, thinking hard.<br>"I will stay here." Samantha said, gesturing to the hut. He nodded in thanks.  
>Samantha went inside the hut and flopped down on the small bed next to a rickety wooden table and matching chair. Everything within the small wooden building was covered in a thick layer of diut and grime. The chair next to her was slowly rotting away, and looked unable to hold the weight of a child. The covers on the bed were once undoubtedly a pure white, but have since faded to a yellow brown from years of use without being cleaned.<p>

Samantha laid backwards on the small unsanitary bed and folded her hands beneath her head, waiting for Link to finish up his errand, whatever it was, and come back. After about ten minutes, she grew bored and ended up drawing smiley faces in the thick layer of dust carpeting the rotting table. Soon after, she heard a quiet knock on the door. Bouncing off the small bed to open the door, she knocked over the chair. It made a loud crash as it collided with the opposite wall. The door swung open.  
>"What was that?" Link asked looking harried.<p>

Samantha looked down at the tumbled over chair, and at one of the rotten legs that had snapped off with the collision. "I killed it."

"Wow." was all he said with a roll of his eyes. He motioned for her to come with him, and walked back out into the graveyard inhabited by Poes. She skipped happily behind him, much to his embarrassment, as they wandered back into the main village. Quietly, Link explained that they had to go to Kokiri forest and help a sage there. Samantha, confused as she was about the whole 'Saving Hyrule' concept, agreed to go along and help him. They traveled quickly to the forest, Link's childhood home. The interior of the forest wasn't as friendly and open as Samantha or Link remembered. Groups of big scary monsters, as the Kokiri put it, ran freely about the place. They had all been confined to their small treelike homes. As soon as Link saw what had happened to his home, he became enraged and raced off into the Lost Woods to get to the temple as fast as he could so that he may restore the little village to its former peace. Samantha tried to keep pace with his long strides, but soon fell behind and became lost. Terror crept up on her, as she ran aimlessly through the may passageways.  
>"Link! Wait up!" She shouted numerous times, but to no avail. Stopping dead in her tracks she sat on the earthy floor and thought deeply as to where the exit was. Though she could not bring herself to remember. She had been in the Lost Woods only once before in her life, which was when she had first met Link. She thought back to that moment in time...<p>

* * *

><p><em>Samantha, only nine years old, ran out of the Gerudo Fortress, angry with her dad for juvenile reasons. She crept up to the guard standing post at the canyon bridge and tugged on her pants, putting on her most innocent face.<br>"My daddy say I can go look out at the field, can I go by please?" She said sweetly. The guard smiled at her bosses daughter and let Samantha pass by without a second thought. Samantha ran full speed away from her home and father as soon as she was out of the guards sight. Fuming, she charged out into the field and stopped as soon as her feet touched soft grass. Her bad mood subsiding at the sight of colorful flowers and green grass, she continued her adventure in the field. This was her first time in Hyrule Field and she never realized how BIG it was. She had been walking for a half an hour when fear came into play. Where was she? Why on earth did she leave the safety of her home? Where was dad? _

_ Tall trees towered in front of her. Trees! She had never seen trees before! Nothing as pretty as trees and flowers would grow in the desert. Awestruck, she wandered unknowingly into the Kokiri Forest. As she set foot on the small rickety bridge suspended over the gap between the forest and field, she saw a small boy sitting alone with his feet dangling over the edge, crying. She hurried forward.  
>"What's wrong?" she said friendly to the boy. <em>

_ He jumped at her voice, and twisted around to look at her. He studied her outfit, red where his was green, and said, "You're not from here, are you?" She shook her head.  
>"I'm from the desert." she smiled. <em>

_ "Is it pretty there?" he said fascinated, wiping away his tears.  
>"Its nice, I guess." Samantha thought. "I haven't really seen much of it, my dad says I'm still to little to go exploring around the place." She said, telling the reason why she had been quarreling with her dad earlier and ran off. "Is this place nice?" <em>

_ "Yeah! Its really pretty in the forest!" He said cheerily, his previous sadness evaporating at the joy of meeting a new friend. "My name is Link, what's yours?"  
>"Samantha Gypsy Dragmie." she answered promptly.<br>"You have a funny name." Link smiled. "I've never met anyone with the middle name Gypsy."  
>"Me either." Samantha laughed. She sat down next to him.<br>"Do you want to be friends?" she asked. "I don't have any friends... there isn't anybody else the same age as me where I come from." Samantha said sadly. _

_ Link grinned hugely, "Yeah!" Samantha answered his smile with one of her own.  
>"I don't have many friends either..." Link said softly. "Where I come from, everybody had a fairy. Everybody, that is, except me. That's why I was crying earlier. This meanie, Mido, keeps picking on me because of it. But I'm to scared to do anything, because If I do, everyone else will hate me for being mean to Mido, when he's the one being mean to me!" He frowned. <em>

_ Samantha instantly became protective of her new friend. "He does that in front of me, and he wont be so quick to pick on you next time!" She said animatedly. Link laughed at her courage. They became instant best friend. Link showed her around his home with a warm feeling of happiness, instead of the prickle of loneliness he usually got when walking around. _

_ Soon they traveled to the Lost Woods. The name intrigued Samantha as they entered.  
>"Is is easy to get lost in here?" She asked, peering at a small deku that had come out of its hiding spot to get a better look at them. <em>

_ "Only if you don't know the way thought." He said. "Come and I'll show you!" he said running off. Samantha followed with an excited laugh, and soon they were running side by side thought the woods. They came upon the Sacred Meadow, and saw a girl with bright green hair playing an instrument Samantha had never seen before. Link introduced Saria to Samantha, and she gained another friend. They spent the rest of the day playing games, and telling stories. _

_ But soon Samantha grew homesick. Even though she loved her new friends, she wanted to go home. They went out near the entrance to Hyrule Field and said goodbye to each other.  
>"Bye Samantha!" Saria said, giving her a hug.<br>"Bye! I hope you come back soon!" Link said with a hint of sadness. Samantha smiled and waved goodbye as she ran off into the field for the second time that day. Following the path she took earlier, she came upon her home. Waiting there for her was her father with an angry expression._

_ Samantha walked up shyly, knowing she was in trouble.  
>"Where did you go?" Ganondorf said, staring off into the distance.<br>Samantha looked down at her feet. "I went for a walk by myself in the field..." _

_ "You could have been killed." her father said, finally looking at her. The anger she had thought she saw was actually fear. He reached out and hugged his daughter tightly. _

_ "I'm fine, daddy. And guess what I did!" She said, hugging him back.  
>"What did you do?" <em>

_ "I made a new friend!" Samantha beamed. Ganondorf looked down as his daughter, deep though creasing his brow. After a long pause he smiled.  
>"I'm glad."<em>

* * *

><p>"Samantha!" a loud voice called, breaking Samantha out of her memory."Over here!" She answered back. Footsteps approached and soon Link ran up to her. Relief filled his face when he saw she was alright.<p>

"What happened? Where did you go?" he said breathless.

"You ran to fast." She said, getting up off the ground. "I couldn't keep up. Sorry..."

Link looked at her funny. "Why are you saying sorry when I should be the one apologizing."  
>"It's alright, you were just doing what you came her to do." she smiled. They turned around and continued, at a much slower pace, towards the forest temple. When they arrived, a strange figure in blue and white Sheikah garb jumped down in front of them. The stranger carried a lyre with them.<br>"Sheik." Link said, looking at the approaching figure.

"The flow of time is always cruel... Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days... In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest." Sheik proceeded to lift up the lyre and play a short melody. Link pulled out a shiny ocarina, and copied the tune perfectly. Sheik nodded in approval.  
>"Link..." Sheik said, then glanced at Samantha, but quickly looked back at Link. "I'll see you again..." With a blinding flash, Sheik disappeared. Samantha looked confusedly at Link.<br>"Who was that?" she questioned.  
>He shrugged, "I don't know."<p>

They turned around and faced the entrance to the forest temple.

"Ready?" Link said, turning his head slightly to look at her.  
>"Lets go." She answered.<p>

Entering the temple, a phantom in the shape of Samantha's father followed them silently in.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, that's three down, and one to go." Link said with a sigh as he and Samantha trekked through the many passageways of the forest temple. They were hunting for the four Poe Sisters – Amy, Beth, Joelle and Meg – who haunt the halls of the temple and held the key to getting the ancient elevator working. They walked back into the main chamber and heard the loud sobs of the last Sister, sitting head in hands in the center of the room.  
>Samantha looked over at Link, "Time to go to work." she said quietly.<br>"You mean time for _me_ to go to work." he replied, rolling his eyes. He walked towards the crying ghost and stood awkwardly, wondering what to do in his strange situation. He turned back to look at Samantha with a confused look. She made a stabbing motion, then started to silently cheer. Link let out a snort of laughter, which cause the sorrowful Poe to jump up and face him, holding onto her purple fire. She let out a cackle of ghostly laughter and split into for replicas of herself, each floating in a menacing circle around Link.

"Oh.." He said. With a swift motion he lifted his bow, previously found in the temple, and aimed an arrow at one of the copies in front of him. Deciding against it, he turned to the one on his right. Then to the one behind him.  
>"Which is the real one?" he said frantically twisting in circles to keep them all in his view.<br>"I cant tell!"  
>Link was about to fire at one in random, when a motion to his left caught his eye. One of them had spun in a circle, like it was taunting him. He took aim at that one, and fired. With a high pitched screech, the Poe flew backwards, and burst into flames. The lone torch was re-lit once again with its violet flame. The ground shook slightly, and a platform raised up, revealing the brown elevator that would lead them to the basement.<br>"Success!" Samantha said, walking over. Link tucked away his bow, and gestured to the lift.  
>"Shall we?"<p>

"Not like there is much of a choice, huh?" Samantha said, going inside. Link followed, and the lift instantly began sinking into the ground. After a few seconds ride, they arrived in a circular chamber. They followed a carpeted path towards where the phantom waited in secret. Climbing up the small flight of stone steps, they reached the top of a circular platform. Identical paintings of a dirt path leading through a dark forest towards a black castle in the background cover the walls, each giving of a feeling of being watched. The entire room seemed to be deprived of noise, till a soft galloping of hooves could be heard, as if someone was riding a horse in the distance.  
>Samantha, who was studying each of the paintings in turn, saw him fist. A familiar figure was riding a familiar black steed towards them from the inside of one of the paintings. Silent with fear, she tugged Links sleeve, and pointed to the painting.<p>

"Whoa..." was all he got out, when the painting turned into a swirling vortex of black and purple. From the center rode out at phantom in the shape of Ganondorf, except for the replacement of a skull-like face. He floated menacingly in the air, still upon his dark stallion. In an instant, he dove down at them, and they had to jump apart to avoid his oncoming attack.

Samantha landed with her back against the spears that had jumped up out of the ground to block any retreat back down the stone steps. The shock of seeing something that looked so close to her father that wanted to cause her harm, was making her nauseous. Instinct made her close her eyes and put her head between her knees. She didn't dare look up, even when she heard Link call her name. The sounds of their fight seemed to drift towards her like they were coming from far off, where as they were physically only feet from her. Time seemed to slow down, as the image of the phantom danced around in her head. She wondered if her father knew of its existence.

When the fight was over, she continued to sit in her curled up ball, afraid of what would happen if she came out. Link walked quickly over to her, breathing heavy.

"Are you alright?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Samantha lifted her head up slowly and looked around her. She and Link were the only ones there, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little surprised." she replied, closing her eyes once more.

Link didn't believe her, "You're not fine. As soon as that ghost showed up, your entire face just fell. What's really wrong?"

Samantha opened her eyes and blushed deeply, not wanting to reveal the real reason for her moment of weakness. "Its nothing. Trust me. I'm fine." she said, forcing out a smile. He still looked at her disbelievingly, but gave up on trying to get it out of her. With a deep sigh, he helped her up and lead her to a circle of glowing blue light in the middle of the room.  
>"Whats that?" she said, a little scared.<p>

"Our way out." he said, stepping into the center of the light. "Coming?"

She looked at the light suspiciously. "I guess.."

Stepping into the blue circle cause everything around her in the dark room to turn bright blue, but soon they were transported. Samantha closed here eyes, expecting to get a head rush. Soon her feet touched solid ground again. Opening her eyes she expected Link to be standing next to her, but she was completely alone. Looking around the place, Samantha discovered that she was in the Temple of Time. But where was Link? Was he transported somewhere else?

With an annoyed sigh, she walked over and sat beneath the three Spiritual Stones on their alter, and waited. Her eyes soon became heavy with sleep, and she flopped over onto her side and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Morning."<p>

"Huh... whaa?" Samantha mumbled, opening her eyes. The events of the day before jumped back into her head when she realized where she was. Link was lounging beside her and laughed at her response. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Where did you go?" she asked.  
>He looked puzzled, "I'm right here?"<p>

"No, I meant when we went into that blue light thingy."

"Oh! I went to a strange place I've been to before.. The place where I went as a ten year old, and woke up like this." He gestured to himself.

Samantha laughed, "Alien abduction."

Link laughed at her joke and stood up. "So from what my fast knowledge of the world tells me, we should go check out Death Mountain." Samantha raised an eyebrow.  
>"Vast knowledge?"<p>

He smiled, "Yes. I am just that smart."

"No he's not!" squeaked a tiny voice. "I told him to go to Death Mountain! It was me!"

Samantha stared at the top of Link's head in utter amazement. He smirked, and lifted off his hat, and a small ball of blue light flew out and circled around Samantha. Here eyes widened as she recognized the light for what it was.

The tiny blue fairy flew up to her face and said happily, "Its about time I got to meet you! Hi, I'm Navi!"

"I'm Samantha. If you haven't already guessed, that is." she answered back with a grin. Turning to Link she glared. "And when were you going to tell me you had a fairy?" She said. Since they day she meet him he had always dreamed about having a fairy of his own, and now one was flying in joyous circles around them.

"Eventually..." he blushed, putting his hat back on. Samantha laughed at him, and went over to give him a big bear hug.  
>"I'm so happy for you!" she smiled. He hugged her back with a laugh, "Me too."<p>

Samantha let go and turned to look at Navi. "So how long has Link been hiding you in his hat?"

Navi let out a laugh that sounded like small bells, "Quite awhile."

"Not even!" Link said in protest. Samantha smacked him on the arm.  
>"Don't be so mean to your fairy!"<br>"We should get going soon!" piped in Navi, who was crazily flying up and down in front of them.

"We probably should." Link said with a laugh, and began to walk towards the exit. Samantha followed, walking next to the energetic little fairy who was excitingly talking to her about everything she could think of. Link turned around, "Would you two stop gossiping and hurry it up?"

"We are not!" squeaked Navi as she flew up to him and hid underneath his hat. Samantha rolled her eyes and ran up next to Link. The duo – now trio – continued their journey to Death Mountain. Samantha nearly got smoked by a falling rock as they were walking up the gravelly path, but luckily Link pulled her out of the way just in time. She embarrassingly passed it off as nothing more than the sun in her eyes, and they walked on. In Goron Village, Link met Darunia's son who had been named after Link after himself. With trembling cries, Link of the Gorons told them of the fiery dragon Volvagia that had taken his dad and their people hostage.

In haste, Link, Samantha and Navi journeyed to the center of the ferocious volcanic mountain.

* * *

><p>"Its broken." Samantha pointed out, looking at the ruined bridge.<p>

"No, really." Link said, looking stressed. "What the heck do we do now?"

"Jump." she answered. She took a few steps back and took a running start at the gap between them and the remaining half of the bridge. Link yelped out in terror thinking she would fall to her death in the lava, but she passed over and made a soft thud on the old wood when she reached the other side.

"How the..?" Link said, staring wide eyed. Samantha shrugged as if it was nothing.

"So now we have to figure out how you're gonna get over here..." she pondered, looking around herself for an idea. Wood, fire, lava and rocks surrounded her. A particularly large wooden beam was suspended above her, placed there to help hold up the bridge. She pointed at it.

"Use your stretchy thing to hop on over here!" she said, telling him her bright idea.

"Hookshot, Sam. Its called a Hookshot." he said, shaking his head with a smile. He pulled out his trusty Hookshot that he had acquired in Kakariko and aimed it at the beam. Wit a swift motion he flew from one side to the other. Samantha jumped back to allow him room.

"I call it stretchy thingy!" Samantha smiled, and turned around only to find her path blocked by the young Sheikah, whom Link referred to as Sheik.

"It is something that grows over time... A true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time. The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go. This song is dedicated to the power of the heart. Listen to the Bolero of Fire." Sheik said with a powerful tone. Pulling out a lyre, Sheik proceeded to play a series of notes once again. Link copied on his ocarina.

"Link..." Sheik pauses. "I'll see you again."

With the toss of a deku seed, Sheik disappears, lyre and all. Link and Samantha are left to stand there in awe, wondering each in their own mind who Sheik was. Samantha looked upon Sheik with mistrust; Link thought of Sheik as a guardian, helping them along their way. They walked on towards the temple entrance in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Sliding down the ladder with ease, they looked upon the statues just inside the entrance.

"Wonder where everyone is..." Link whispered, not wanting to disturb the flaming Keese floating above their heads. There was a flight of stone steps in front of them, and at the top on either side was a heavy metal door. Samantha looked at the door to the left, the one that was unlocked.

"No better place to try then in there."

"Lets go." Link said and they wandered off. When they arrived in front of the door, Link reached out to turn the handle, but quickly yanked his hand back when he made contact.

"Gah! Its burning hot!" he growled, holding his hand close to his chest.

Samantha looked down at the knob. "Let me try." she said, and reached for it. Before she touched it though, she let a little of her grandmother's flaming magic out. Not enough to be noticed, but enough so that she wouldn't be burned. She turned the handle with ease, and held the door open for Link. Samantha smiled brightly as he grumbled past her, still cradling his hand. The room itself was fairly empty, but across a lava filled pit on a similar platform to the one Link and Samantha were standing on, was Darunia. He let out a great Goron laugh and raised his arms as he saw the two approaching.

"Link, my sworn brother! You have come to help!" he roared with joy. "Many of my people have been captured by that fiend, Ganondorf, – " Samantha looked at her feet in shame. " – and I have been trying with all my might to get them out. But I need help! Could you, as my sworn brother, go throughout the temple and set them free? They know the way back, so the will not burden you! In the meantime I must go challenge the evil dragon, Volvagia. I hope the luck of the goddess is on my side, because even though I am related to the ancient hero, I fear I do not have his strength.. Good luck to you two!"

With that, Darunia went into the large door behind him and was sealed of from the rest of the world.

"We have to help them, Link! C'mon, lets go!" Samantha said, still shamed that her father could do such a thing to the poor Goron tribe. She yanked the door behind them open and stormed off towards the other. Link followed behind, also determined to help Darunia. Navi swayed back and forth between them, not enjoying the scolding heat of the fire temple.

"Oh, I hope we hurry up and help so we can get out of here soon!" she piped up, flying with her own determination.


	4. Chapter 4

"Have I ever told you," Samantha panted, "I really hate lava?" She and Link had been running about the Fire Temple for what seemed like hours upon hours without rest. They had just escaped an angry Flare Dancer with numerous burn marks and their hair slightly singed at the tips.  
>"Oh, about thirty times." Link replied, equally as tired and worn out as she was. "I hope we finish up soon, my feet are sore." he looked down at his brown booted feet with a grimace. Samantha smirked, remembering his yells as he ran across the floor of lava to reach the other side, unlike herself who jumped from platform to platform, trying to not make her long skirt catch on fire or rip at the hem.<p>

They opened a heavyset metal door and entered a circular room. A crooked and thin line of rock ran from one side of the room to the other, connecting two doors. Out of the center of the path a thicker straight rock lead to a metal door on the right with bars down the front, locking them out.

"And away we go." Link said, edging forward slowly, afraid of falling.

"Have I ever told you I'm clumsy?" Samantha asked, looking down below. She could faintly see the wooden bridge suspended ominously over the floor of lava. Link paused and looked at her from over his shoulder, "You'll be fine."

Shrugging, Samantha walked forward with the carefulness of a circus performer on a tight rope. Tiptoeing along, she looked down again and felt dizzy. Closing her eyes she stopped in her tracks, "Uhh.. I don't know if I can.." She stammered. Link had just reached the other side, and turned around to look at her.

"C'mon, you can make it!" he said encouragingly. Samantha gulped down her fear, and continued. Crossing as fast as she dared, she was feet from Link and the exit. Feeling more courageous she stepped faster, wanting it to be over and done. Seconds later, she regretted her actions. She stepped on an old and crumbly patch of rock and it gave way beneath her left foot. Screaming profanities at the top of her lungs, she watched as the rock walls around her flew upwards at startling speeds, as if she was suspended in mid air. Not so far below her anymore, the wooden bridge grew in size as she hurtled towards it, a shrill scream escaping her mouth seconds before she made contact and her vision went black.

* * *

><p>"Guh. My head feels... painful." Samantha grumbled, placing a hand on the top of her head.<br>"I'm not surprised in the least." a voice said in her ear, making her jump. She opened her eyes slowly, even the slight movement of her eyelids made her head pound like a jackhammer.

"You... Hi.." she said, looking groggily at Link, only half aware of what was going on around her.

"You hi?" he repeated, amused.

"Yeah you... Bah, my head feels hurtingful..."

Link tilted his head, "Wow. You really did hit your head hard... Hurtingful?" He laughed and turned to look around the room. "Good thing unlike you, I'm surprisingly not clumsy." With a deep sigh, he turned back to look at her, "You scared the crap out of me... what happened?" he said frowning.

"I fell.. the rock crumbed, and I fell.." she said, straining to remember exactly what happened. Her head really did hurt. Opening her eyes as wide as she dared, she peered around the room. It was the front entrance, they were right next to the ladder that lead outside of the temple. Swiveling her head around, she noticed how close Link's head was to hers. Only then did she realize he had her sitting in his lap, with her head recently rested on his shoulder. He was holding her tightly around the waist, as if afraid she would fall over.

"My head hurts." she said, after realizing he was staring at her.

"I can tell." he grinned. "But to make matters better for you, while you were unconscious I took care of the dirty work, and defeated the dragon, Volvagia."  
>"Really? That's great! … But, then why are we still down here?"<p>

"I couldn't figure out how to climb up the ladder with you." he said, jerking his head in the direction of the exit. She laughed, "I'm such a nuisance."

He shook his head, "No you're not. Now, do you think you're able to stand up without falling over?"

"Hmm.." He loosened his arms as she moved to get up, using the wall as a brace. With excruciating effort, she stood tall on her own two feet. Slight lightheadedness clouded her head, but she managed to claw through it. "I did it." She smiled. He stood up next to her.  
>"Congratulations, that was the easy part." He pointed up.<p>

Samantha groaned and looked up the length of the ladder. She took a daring step forward, meaning to climb it, when Navi flew in her face and shouted, "YOU CAN DO IT!" Samantha stumbled back, and nearly fell over from the pain her head received from the bright light emitting from Navi.

"Ooops! Sorry!" Navi amended and flew back out of sight underneath Link's hat.

"Well then..." Samantha said, and stepped forward again. She grabbed the ladder tightly in her hands, and its heat was shocking compared to her hands, which were particularity icy, despite the intense heat. Using the little supply of strength she had, she climbed the ladder, slowly but surely. Upon reaching the top, she flopped onto the ground and laughed. Link came up after her, and saw her display of laughter.

"You okay?" he said, an amused grin plastered on his face.

"Oh goddess, I hope so." she said, ceasing the laughter. Getting up was easier the second time around, and she got to her feet quicker than the last time, but still slower than normal. "Where to now?" she inquired.

Link looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Zora's Domain?"

"I've never been there before... Is it nice?"

He nodded, "Very."

Samantha turned to look at the path ahead of them. Her head was substantially less painful, and she could see clearly now that the intense pain was gone. "Shall we go?" she said with a smile.

"We shall." he said with a laugh.

"Great!" Samantha said. "Now, lead the way!"

He paused and looked at her, "I knew there was a catch." He grinned, and linked arms with her. "It's a long walk... you up to it?" he said as they began walking.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Uh.."

"Challenge accepted!" she said, and charged off, Link trailing behind.

* * *

><p>"You expect a clumsy person to walk safely over all that ice?" Samantha asked, dumbfounded.<p>

Link looked taken back, "I didn't realize it was frozen over.."

She shrugged, and sauntered forward carefully. The floor was almost completely ice in the cavern, and a frozen waterfall reached its icy fingers down from a large cave up above them. Along the wall was a stone path, and she followed it to the base of a staircase. Cautiously, she wandered up them and saw a strange sight. A large Zora was staring down at her, encased in a crystal of red ice.

"Hey... can you hear me?" she said, walking up to touch the ice. The Zora didn't reply, so she turned around meaning to ask Link what he thought, but he wasn't there. Curious, she walked along the path of frozen ice that she guessed was the waterfall. She stood at the top of the frozen waterfall, and looked down into the room below. She spotted Link immediately, his green clothing making him stick out. He was down on one knee at the water's edge, peering down into the icy pool with a sad expression on his face. Looking down directly below her, she saw that a whole clan of Zora's were trapped below the ice, trapped eternally in their frozen pool.

Covering her mouth with her hands, she looked down into the frozen grave. Sadness swept over her as she thought of these creatures alive, swimming with the skills of a fish, but the intelligence of a man. How could anybody do this to the Zora people? Or the Goron tribe, for that matter?

Anger swept over her, and she stalked back into the room with the red ice. Looking up at the obese Zora, she realized he was some sort of royalty figure to them. Fully intended on saving every last one of them, she turned towards the staircase and shouted at the top of her lungs, "_LIIIIIINK!_"

He was standing in front of her, looking wild eyed and out of breath, in less than a minute.

"What? Are you okay?" he said, taking in his surroundings.

"I am, but they're not!" she said, pointing in the direction of the Zora's in their frozen pool. "We have to help them, c'mon!" she said with fire, as she turned around, and jumped up onto the ledge where their king sat in his frozen red cage. She didn't stop to see if he was following, just continued forward until she came upon a small lake. Flat topped icebergs were littered throughout it, but the water itself was not frozen. Sweeping the area, she saw a cave placed along the right wall of the lake. A small trail of spinning and twirling icebergs lead to it, and she trekked on. The coldness of the ice barely affected her bare feet, as she leaped easily from platform to platform. Upon reaching the entrance to the cave, she turned around to see Link slowly leaping across the icebergs.

Her anger subsided when she saw the trouble he was having. When he reached the iceberg closes to the cave, she dropped to her knees and held out her hand. He grasped it and hauled himself up, lying on his back on the solid rock.

"Hi." he said, still out of breath.

She smiled brilliantly, "Hello!"

He grinned, "You run all this way, and now all you want to do is sit here?"

"Heck no!" Samantha said with feeling. "We gotta help them!" Bolting upright, she turned to go into the cave.

"Hey! Wait up, will you?" Link said, stumbling to his feet, clearly exhausted.

She didn't hear him, or ignored him all together, and streaked inside, instantaneously slipping wildly on the ice in her fruitless attempt to remain standing. Link walked in to see her sitting on the floor, an annoyed expression covering her face. "I slipped." she grumbled.

"Karma. It's a –"

"_Don't_ say it."

He grinned and reached down a hand to help her up.

"Well," she said, still feeling agitated. "Get to it." she said, motioning to the rest of the ice cavern.

"Always making the man do the hard work..." he said, rolling his eyes and walking off.  
>"Damn right." she said, following.<p>

* * *

><p>"Sheik." Link said surprised, as he tucked away his newly acquired iron boots. They had clambered their way through the icy cave, and had arrived just moments ago to this room with a large chest, containing the iron boots.<p>

"Oh hello!" Samantha said, trying to sound friendly while in truth, she didn't quite like Sheik.

Sheik walked forward, looking at them both in turn, and began to talk.

"We meet again. If you came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time... This is all there is... With one exception, the Zoras are now sealed under this thick ice sheet. I managed to rescue the princess from under the ice, but... she left to head for the Water Temple. This ice is created by an evil curse... The monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse. Unless you shut off the source, this ice will never melt... If you have courage enough to confront the danger and save the Zoras, I will teach you the melody that leads to the temple." And with that, Sheik pulled out the same golden harp and played a calming tune, which Link mimicked on his ocarina.

Sheik put the harp away, and looked directly at Samantha for the first time.

"Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends... A childish mind will turn to noble ambition... Young love will become deep affection... The clear water's surface reflects growth..." Turning back to Link, "Link... I'll see you again..."

With a blinding flash of a deku nut, they all turned and continued along their designated path that destiny had laid out for them. Link and Samantha walked long and tirelessly to the Water Temple, safely located beneath the waters of Lake Hylia. Shiek went to wherever Sheik usually goes when not conveying a message or a melody to the duo. They all knew they would see one another soon, but for now other business was about to take place beneath and above the still and shallow waters of the lake.

* * *

><p>The sun shone brilliantly overhead when they arrived at the lake. The small remnant of water in the lake was blocking a normal person's path to the gated entrance of the temple below. Walking across the rickety wooden bridge – now suspended over nothing but mud, dirt, and rocks – Samantha wondered what was inside of it. But, she knew that she would never see the inside of that temple. She had her reasons, but Link was defiant about going alone.<p>

"Good luck." she said.

"What do you mean? You're coming with, right?" he said, looking at her confused.

She looked quietly down at the barren lake, "No.."

He stood up tall, "Why not?" he said, anger and hurt in his voice. "You're gonna make me go by myself and do all the dirty work?"

"Its not like that." Samantha said. "Its just that... I don't want to go in the water.." she said, embarrassed.

"Can you not swim?" he asked, his anger and hurt subsiding, filling with concern.

"No.. and, well... as a kid, I nearly drowned and I never got over it completely.." she whispered, embarrassment making her face flush red. Her thoughts jumped to that moment when she was just a girl. She had been playing under the watchful eye of a Gerudo guard on the bridge that stretched from one side of the gorge to the other. The only link between Hyrule and Gerudo Desert. She had been watching the octorocks splashing each other in the rapid waters below.

She leaned just a little to far over, and fell into the rapids. Being a Gerudo who had grown up in the sandy and waterless desert, she had not the slightest idea how to swim. Thrashing around in the water, she would have drowned of her father had not seen her fall in and dived madly after her. Ever since her experience in the river, she had hated water and the idea of swimming.

"I understand." he said, seeing her eyes tear up slightly out of fear. He moved forward and surprised her by giving her a big bear hug, crushing her face into his chest. She hugged back as she attempted to stop the traitorous tears. "You don't have to. I can manage on my own, you just stay here and I will get through this as fast as I can."

"Thanks." she said, her words muffled.

She released him, and turned back to the water. "Good luck." she repeated.

"Thanks, I'm hoping I wont need luck to get me through this though." he said smiling.

Link walked to the edge of the little island they stood on, wearing his new blue tunic to help him breath beneath the suffocating water, and slipped down. Samantha heard a splash below when he made contact. She leaned forwards and saw him wave goodbye before diving under.

Samantha repressed a shudder as she thought about being down there. Turning, she went and sat beneath the large, dead tree.

Hours passed slowly and lonely, and her eyes were closing with exhaustion when the last rays of sunlight were reaching over the lake, trying to prevent the impending darkness. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the tree trunk and wondered what Link was doing down below.

A humorous image of Link hugging an octorok was playing in her head when she hard heavy footsteps approaching her. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked up at the tall figure looming over her ominously.

"Dad..?" she said, shocked.

"Hello, Samantha."


	5. Chapter 5

"Dad, I... what are you doing here?" Samantha said surprised at his sudden appearance.

He shrugged his massive shoulders casually, "I was just in the area..."

"Oh." she said, standing up. The tone of voice her father was using gave her the impression he had planned meeting her, and the way he spoke so casually gave her a feeling he had something most likely important to say. "Well, how have you been?"

He looked down at her, his height making her feel dwarfed, "Just fine, thank you."

"That's good..." she trailed off. He was talking to her formally, as if they had just met. Usually, he held her above all others, and was always good for a conversation, and it was making her feel nervous.

Standing there, she quietly looked up at her father, silently refusing to utter another sound until he spoke up and said what was on his mind. He looked down at her with the same quiet stare, his arms crossed defiantly. After a few excruciatingly painful minutes of this, she said, "Well?"

"Well?" he echoed back.

Samantha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Well obviously you have something you want to say to me. What is is?" She opened her eyes to look up at him again.

Ganondorf heaved out a great sigh, and looked down at her, "You were quick to catch on." he grumbled, and turned away, walking to the edge of the small island.

"Yes, I do have something to say – or ask, that is." He turned back to her, his head locking out the light of the moon, casting dark shadows over his face. "You see, when I asked this job of you, I thought you could be trusted to not mess up. You were – and still are – a very promising person, but you are taking to much time. I expected you to be able to do this quickly – withing the first two days, I predicted – but it has been a week, and still you have yet to do it."

Samantha gulped down her fear quietly, and watched her father slowly saunter up to her, the anger in his voice grown with each step.

"I asked my self, Why?" he said, gazing at her. "Why was she taking so long? Well, I came up with tones of reasons. She couldn't find an opening... She had run into an unforeseen problem... The Hero of Time wasn't quick to trust her... All of these and more. But, as I sit in my palace, none of them seemed to fit. I couldn't quite pit my finger on it..."

He stood in front of her, staring down with displeased eyes, "And so, I came here... To check up on your efforts.. which, until now, I had thought you were putting your best efforts into it. But no... I come, and see my daughter – my only daughter, the heir to my empire – hugging the Hero of Time as if they were best friends... or more." he glared down at her. "_Why?_"

Samantha looked away from his scrutinizing glare, and looked off at the birds circling the roof of the lake side laboratory. She stared at them, trying to change her face from the mask of surprise and fear, to one that was indifferent.

"Anything to say, Daughter?" Ganondorf said, his voice to sweet and innocent.

She looked back up at him, "I don't know what you want me to say." she said in a leveled voice, while inside anger and fear coiled up like a snake, wanting to strike out. "You specifically asked me to befriend the Hero of Time, so as to strike him where it will really hurt." Contracting her voice, she tried to make it seem like his words hurt and offended her.

"I have done nothing but my job, and you throw these wild accusations on me. Implying that I have turned my back on you... betrayed you. Well, I haven't. You were the one who wanted this, Dad. Don't find treachery and trickery where there is none." Samantha stared at him, refusing to look away.

Ganondorf turned his gaze away, up at the night sky. He stared long and hard, thinking over her words, searching for false. Finally, he turned back. A calm expression covered his face.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I was growing worried that your friendship, no matter how false, would lead you to be swayed over to the side of... _heroes_." he spat the last word angrily.

"It's alright, Dad." Samantha said, relief flowing through her. "You have to admit.. I'd make a good actor, no?" she smiled up at him.

He grinned toothily, "I raised you, so I would have to say yes."

"So, how are things going?" Samantha asked casually. "You know, with obtaining the Triforce and everything." He frowned.

"Well, not as planned. I still don't have the princess, and that Link is still running about freely." he looked in the direction of the temple gate. "You just let him go in there on his own? You must have faith that he won't have a change of heart and come out here to kill you."

Samantha was taken back at the thought, but knew in her heart it wasn't true.

"Well, I have to be lenient. Breathing down his neck every second like I had him on a leash will make him suspicious, don't you think?"

With a chuckle, he patted her on the back, "You are a smart one."

Samantha smiled, enthusiastic that her speech had worked, and he now had bestowed full faith in her again. She would never admit that she was terrified of her father while he was talking, but deep down she knew that the man who had raised and cared for her was more dangerous than he let on.

"But, alas, the night is growing late, and I should be getting back to my black palace." he said with a self satisfied grin, "Best of luck, my daughter." he said, and turned away. Samantha went and sat back beneath her tree, and watched him walk to his black stallion and ride off into the distance.

Sighing deeply, she placed her head into her hands. Her heart had been pounding throughout the whole ordeal, and she desperately needed sleep. Flopping backwards onto the soft grass, she closed her eyes once more and drifted quickly off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake... Link, you did it!"<p>

Samantha froze at the sound of another human voice near her. Footsteps walked away from her, towards the sound of the voice. She head a male voice mutter something in reply, and cracked open here eyes a tiny bit to see who it was. Link and Sheik stood side by side at the waters edge.

"Did Ruto want to thank me? I see... We have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake, too. Don't we?" Sheik paused, and gazed at the clear waters of the newly refilled lake. "Look at that, Link... Together, you and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster! Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was here." Link slowly walked forwards, looking down into the water. Sheik turned around to look at her, their gazes meeting. Samantha, her fake sleep having been discovered, sat up slowly. Sheik backed away from Link, who still had his back to both of them.

Samantha rubbed her eyes, and when she reopened them, Sheik was nowhere in sight.

"Huh...?" she said, surprised.

Link turned around and smiled at her, "Morning... where did Sheik go?" he said, as equally puzzled.

Samantha shrugged, "Not a clue."

A quiet splash was heard, and they turned their heads at the same time to see small ripples in the water where something had hit it.

"Sheik?" they both said at the same time and laughed.

"So how did the temple go?" she asked as he sat down next to her.

Link laughed as he walked over and sat down next to her, "Long." He sighed. "I'm so exhausted.."

"Sleep." Samantha demanded.

"But –" he began.

"No but. Sleep. Now." Samantha said. He smiled and leaned back against the tree.

"Night." he said, closing his eyes.

"Night." she answered. Samantha sat there and watched the clouds move slowly across the sky. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she got up and tip toed to the waters edge. The lake was filled with sparkling clear water, and as she looked down into its depths she saw the fins of a Zora disappearing into the temple. _They're free!_ She thought triumphantly.

Leaning back in the grass, she watched an octorok swim lazily from the river leading from Gerudo Fortress to the lake. It slowly looked about the place, then dived under with a loud splash. Samantha laughed, and turned back to look at her sleeping friend, afraid she had woke him up. Link sat beneath the tree still, his head resting on his shoulder. She smiled, and turned back to the lake.

Samantha sat daydreaming while Link slept. A couple hours into her daydreaming, her mind drifted to her conversation with her father.

Was he right...? she wondered.

_No, stupid._ A little defiant voice in the back of her head argued. _You're just doing your job._

Do I even want to do my job anymore...?

_Stop second guessing yourself. You were given a job, and you're going to do it._

But he's my friend! … I don't want to kill him...

_Then don't! Take him to your father passed out, he can take it from there._

But, If I do, I will resent my father for the rest of my life...

_Maybe you are one of them... _The voice whispered.

Maybe I am...

Samantha leaned back, lying on the grass. "What am I going to do?" she asked herself out loud.

"Do what?" a voice replied. She jumped as if shocked, and turned around to see Link rubbing his eyes, clearly just having woken up.

"Oh," she mentally slapped herself for talking out loud. "Nothing, just talking to myself."

"Alright then." he said, getting up and walking over. "I feel well rested, so I guess its time to move on." She nodded in agreement and stood up.

"Where to?"

"Well, that's the thing.." he said, scratching his head in thought. "I don't know where to go.."

Samantha looked off in the distance, staring at the dark clouds circling ominously over the black castle that her father called his own. She thought of the small village, Kakariko, and about the legends that there was some evil place hidden behind the graveyard.

"Why don't we check out Kakariko Village? " she suggested.

He smiled, "Hey, yeah! Good idea, I wouldn't have thought of that!"

Samantha laughed, and linked his arm with hers, pulling him towards the bridge. "Let's go before anyone realizes that the lake is full of water again and decides to have a lake side party."

"Okay, lead the way." he grinned, being pulled along.

"Do you think its nice over there this time of year?" she wondered.

"Haven't a clue. I hope it's not burning hot, I'm not good with heat."

"Just for that, I'm starting a fire when we get there." she joked.

"You do that. See how it works out." he laughed, as they exited the lake together.


	6. Chapter 6

"I thought you were joking about the fire thing..." Link stammered as he watched the village of Kakariko go up in flames. People were running helter skelter full of fear for loved ones and treasured belongings. Screams of terror and confusion rang out around them like a mismatched chorus.

"I.. I was!" Samantha said as she stared out into the chaos. The peace of the small village had been shattered, and she knew her father was behind the destruction and madness. Her eyes scanned the area, searching for something that could explain what happened.

"Look!" Link said loudly over the noise, pointing towards the well. Sheik stood back towards them, gazing deep into the dark pits of the well. Samantha tensed unconsciously as she look at the mysterious stranger that seemed to go everywhere they did.

"Lets go." she said without emotion. They ran up behind Sheik, who turned to look at them.

"Get back, Link!" Sheik shouts, as the top of the well flies of and smacks hard into the ground behind them. Links gaze follows it, but Samantha stares coldly at Sheik. _What? _She thought with venom. _Don't care if I get blown up by some well demon, do you? You only care bout him, obviously. _

Just then Sheik is lifted up by some unseen force, and tossed like a rag doll in the air above them. With a sudden growl and an invisible flick, Sheik is thrown through the air and lands head first into the ground at the foot of the stairs behind them. They both went of after Sheik at once, wondering what had happened. Kneeling down beside, Link helps Sheik into a sitting position. A rumbling behind them caused Samantha to jump back up and face the ominous well.

A shadow of gray and purple was sliding out of the well with incredible speed. It dashed around Kakariko village, climbing houses and the surrounding cliffs with ease. Link stood up and walked in front of her and Sheik, sword drawn. The shadow seemed to sense him there, and it turned with lighting speed towards them, aiming directly at Link. Raising his shield in defense, it smacks into him and sends him backwards with a loud yell. The relentless shadow then picks him up as it did Sheik before and throws him directly up in the air. Tumbling down, he screams throwing out his arms to stop his fall.

He crashed into the ground with one final yell, and remained silent. Samantha ran over, terrified that he was hurt, as the shadow slunk away, off in the direction of the graveyard.

"Link!" she said frantically, shaking his shoulders. He mumbled something, then slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

"Looks like you're coming around..." Sheik said, walking over to them. Samantha helped Link up as Sheik continued talking.

"Link... A terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well... But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world! I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it again, but... she will be in danger without any help!"

Link nodded in understanding, and Sheik continued.  
>"Link! Impa is one of the six Sages. Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save Impa! There is an entrance to the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard behind this village. The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple... This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time... Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow!"<p>

The same flash of gold as Sheik pulled out the lyre, and strummed out a tune that Link echoed perfectly.

"Let me take care of the village! I'm counting on you, Link!" Sheik said, backing away and throwing down a deku nut, disappearing within its flash.

Link sighed deeply, and turned to Samantha, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's get a move on them." he said, sounding unenthusiastic.

"Be wary, hero." a quiet voice said nearby. "What lurks within the temple isn't always as it seems."

"What do you mean?" Link said, looking over at an old man leaning against a stack of crates. He wore a blue robe, and had long white hair.

"You may need to be armed with more than a sword and your own brute strength." he said, walking towards them with the slowness of an old man. "My name is Shikashi, I live here in Kakariko." he said, smiling friendly at them. Samantha smiled back, but Link was more focused on what he was saying before.

"What did you mean 'what lurks within the temple isn't always as it seems'?" he inquired.

Shikashi smiled, "A long time ago... There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth. Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to actually see the truth... But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things... His house stood where the well is now..." he said quietly, lost in memory of younger days. He then broke out into a fit of coughs, turning away from them in an act of politeness. He casually waved away their concern, and stood up straight again. "My word, this smoke is terrible. I'm afraid I must retire to my home. Goodbye, and good luck." he said, walking off.

Samantha looked at Link curiously, but he was deep in thought. "The well..." he whispered quietly to himself.

"What do we do?" Samantha asked.

He looked at her, realization dawning on his face. "I.. We have to go back in time." he said, unsure of his own words.

Samantha frowned, "What? That's impossible, Link."

"No, no... Its not.." he said, growing confidence. "Sheik told me.. right after we went through the Forest Temple.. Its the pedestal in the Temple of Time.. that's where we need to go!"

Samantha looked away, thinking. He was making no sense to her, but she didn't want to be mean by stomping on his theory.

"I don't know.." She said, staring in the other direction. "Link, are you sure you just didn't hit your head hard when you fell...?"

She could hear the air escape from his lungs beside her, but she didn't want to look at him. She felt bad for not believing him when he sounded so sure of himself, but she didn't believe it was possible.

"I know it sounds childish," He began, his voice quiet and sad. "But you gotta believe me, Samantha." he said. "Please."

Little voices were arguing in her head. One wanted to be trusting, and go along with his plan; the other wanted to follow logic, and hurry up and find a new one. Samantha followed the little internal argument quietly, until she made up her mind.

"All logic points to that being impossible, Link." she said slowly, not wanting to be rude. "Now come on, we have to go to the graveyard and figure this out." With that, she walked off without a glance in his direction. The walk to the graveyard seemed so long for her that she had a feeling of hopelessness as she came upon the stone archway entrance.

She could hear footsteps coming up slowly behind her, but still she didn't turn. When she reached the graveyard, she spoke out loud, mainly to herself.

"There has to be some sort of clue around here.." she wondered. She stood staring into the barren graveyard, searching fruitlessly for something. Nothing was there, except for a lone Poe quietly floating around a grave. "There has to be something..." she whispered to herself, feeling like an idiot as the seconds flew by.

"Samantha..." Link said behind her. His voice sounded hurt, and she didn't want to turn around and face him, so she tilted her head in his direction, while still staring defiantly forward.

It wasn't enough. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.  
>"Please, lets just try it out. I know I'm not wrong." he begged.<p>

She frowned and looked away again. He was making her feel terrible.

"I know Sheik told you it would work... But we can't just throw away the logic.." she started again, trying not to be rude about it.

"Logic." he said, shaking his head and casting his eyes to the ground.

"I'm sorry." Samantha said, looking back at him. "But I just think it wont work, that its a waste of our time." he continued to stare solemnly at the ground. "Link.. please don't take it badly. Look at me for a second." she said. He obeyed and looked back at her, sadness covering his face.

"I am really sorry." she said. When he didn't reply, she looked away, ashamed of herself.

"Please.." he whispered again. She didn't look up. He sighed deeply, and reached out and grabbed her head gently, turning it towards him. She only had a second to look up at him questioningly, before his lips were against hers and he was kissing her passionately. She stood there stark still, shock at what was going on. When he realized what he did, he pulled away, blushing deeply.

"S-sorry... I didn't mean to..." he stuttered, looking wide eyed.

"Its okay.." she said quietly, as equally flustered. He looked at the ground beneath his feet, embarrassed. Samantha silently reached out and took his hand.

"We better get a move on." she said.

He looked up confused, "What?"

"We have to walk to the Temple of Time, don't we? Better start while we're young." she said, smiling. He smiled happily back at her, "Yeah." he said dumbstruck.

* * *

><p>Lord Ganondorf stood in the tallest tower of his black palace. The land of Hyrule in front of him was slowly changing, turning black and dead. A fierce sense of satisfaction flowed through him as he watched his domain rise up to conquer the old. Casting his eyes to the west, he saw that Kakariko village was up in flames. A humorless laugh escaped him as he thought of the villagers, screaming and crying like they did when Castle Town had been wiped from existence.<p>

Ganondorf turned away from the darkened land, to the shining metal of his organ. Many hours of his day were spent in front of its looming pipes and keys, playing tunes he loved. He sat on the dark wooden bench in front if it, and stared down into the keys, as if they would speak to him. Hanging above the organ was a painted portrait of him and Samantha. They were standing in the Gerudo fortress. Samantha had a big smile on her face, laughing at a long forgotten joke. He stood beside her, much taller than she was, but he seemed pushed into the background by her smiling presence. She looked startlingly like her mother, he noted. A Hylian woman he once had a fling with, but she was lost in the great war. Samantha had her mothers green eyes, and pale skin, unlike the rest of the Gerudos who all resembled each other. Her hair was the only outward sign that they were related at all, long and red.

The peaceful happiness of that moment in time had been lost the moment her friend intervened with his plan to obtain the Triforce. Now Samantha was off somewhere with Link, while Ganondorf sat moodily within his tower, waiting for her to come back. He turned around in his seat and looked once more out the window. Far off he could see Gerudo Valley, completely untouched by the darkness. He missed the loyalty of his thieves back home, and wondered how they were doing without the guidance of their king.

As if it had been decided a long time ago, and not just within the few moments of looking out his tower window, he got up and walked briskly to the door. He meant to visit the Gerudos, let them know he had not forgotten them.

The ReDeads standing in the market didn't look up as he came towards them, and he passed by without a bit of trouble. He was just about to step out of the market when he hear a familiar laugh behind him. Curiosity grasped him and he turned back, making sure he stayed hidden. Walking up the steps to the Temple of Time was Samantha, with the hero, Link. He smiled at the sight of his daughter, but it quickly turned to a grimace. Her small hand was grasped tightly within his gauntlet covered one, and they were both smiling and laughing.

Anger swelled up uncontrollably inside of him, and he took a menacing step forward, but stopped mid stride. _She's good, _he told himself. Sliding back into the shadows he watched them disappear within the temple, their voices fading in the darkness. The anger subsided as quickly as it came, and he turned back on his path to his loyal thieves. His trust in his daughter seemed to grow a bit when he saw them there. _She literally holds the Hero within the palm of her hands, _he thought triumphantly. He didn't know her plan exactly, but whatever it was, it seemed to be going smoothly.

His thoughts were on the two of them the entire walk back to his home, thinking deeply within the plots and subplots of his rise to power. Only when he arrived were his thoughts interrupted by the warm welcome of his people. They were eager to hear of his progress, and completely thrilled to hear that he now ruled within the once white towers of Hyrule Castle.

_Ahh, _he sighed. _It's good to be home. _

* * *

><p>"What now?" Samantha asked Link curiously. They stood in front of the pedestal inside of the Temple of Time, staring down at it. She still held his hand as they stared down at it. It sat there quietly mocking her. The voice inside of her head was still growling, saying they should just turn around now and go back to the graveyard before it gets to dark out. But now the other voice was louder and stronger, saying to trust Link. So there she stood, waiting to be proven right or wrong.<p>

"Well, If I heard Sheik right... we take this" – he pulled out the Master Sword – "and put it back in the pedestal." he said, looking down at the blade. Samantha nodded, waiting for him to put it back in its rightful place.

Taking a deep breath, he grasped the sword in both hands and drove it down into the pedestal. The platform they stood on was immediately surrounded by the same blue light they and walked into when they had cleansed the Forest Temple. Samantha took Link's hand within hers once more and closed her eyes again, not wanting to experience the blinding blue light for a second time. Seconds passed, and nothing seemed to change until Links hand seemed to slip out of hers without warning. She stood there, eyes slammed shut, all alone as far as she could tell.

Something tugged on her skirt, demanding her attention. Opening her eyes she stood in the temple alone. A small movement on the ground in front of her caused her to look down. Link sat on the floor, looking up at her. But it wasn't Link. It was Link at ten years old, looking exactly the same as the very first day they met, except now his large Hylian shield was dwarfing over him as he sat.

She looked down at herself, and nothing had changed. Same hair, same clothes. Crouching down, she made herself roughly the same size as Link.

"Why are you so tall?" he asked in the higher pitched voice of a child, but not unlike the once she had heard only a minute ago.

"I think it worked..." Samantha smiled, completely amazed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Think?" Link said, looking down at himself. "You think? I'm so small!" he shouted, standing up. He glanced around the Temple of Time. Nothing had changed, but himself. He turned to Samantha and looked her up and down, "You're the same, why didn't you change? Why only me?"

"I have no idea..." she said. "But we have to check outside."

"Why? I'm so small! I can't defend myself as well as I could before!"

"Because.." she whispered, tilting her head. "I hear voices.."

He didn't reply, listening intently. Sure enough, off in the direction of the market was the sound of voices. Some laughing, some shouting, and some just talking, all mixed together to form a loud buzzing noise. They turned back to look at one another, then both broke out into a run towards the exit. When they arrived outside, they stopped dead in their tracks.

The market place was exactly as it had been before Ganondorf took hold. People were cheerily running about the place, selling and buying things, only stopping to talk to friends as they passed by.

"We did it!" Link shouted, startling an old lady walking by.

"I never thought it would work..." Samantha said, shocked.

Link wandered into the market, with Navi – who had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal – trailing peacefully behind him. Samantha followed, looking around the place.

"What now?" Samantha asked, catching up to Link.

Link looked at her, "It's weird... looking up at you, I mean." he laughed. "Usually I'm the taller one." Samantha smiled, and crouched down in front of him.

"Better?" she asked.  
>"Much." he said, giggling in the innocent voice of a child. "Now, I think we should go back to Kakarko, and explore that well. I fell down their once, and saw a tunnel. I'm sure that's where we need to go."<p>

"Alright, lets head out." Samantha got up and walked towards the drawbridge, Link walking behind. When she exited into the field, she turned around to see Link running towards her, his small legs were unable to keep up with her pace easily. He came up to her, breathless.

"Wow, you walk fast.."

"No," she said, laughing. "You're just shorter than usual."

He grumbled something and looked at his feet.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." he said, looking back. "Lets get to Kakariko!" he shouted, running off. Samantha followed behind him, laughing as she watched her small best friends clumsily charge over Hyrule field.

* * *

><p>Sheik stood in the unyielding shadows of the Temple of Time, watching the hero disappear into a void of light with the Gerudo girl. The stealthy sheikah walked forward into the now empty chamber, marveling in the emptiness of the place that had recently been shelter to three.<p>

Sheik walked and sat beneath the pedestal, puling out a golden harp with a swift movement. The sheikah's fingers ran smoothly over the strings, barely touching, yet making sweet music vibrate throughout the temple walls. There Sheik sat, waiting for the imminent return of the hero and the spy, ready to disappear back into the shadows when the chamber fills with the light of the gods.

* * *

><p>"You really are going in there, aren't you?" Samantha said. They stood in the very pits of the well, cold air swirling from an unseen breeze around them. Samantha stood arms wrapped around herself, freezing in her clothes made for warm desert weather. Link stood kneeling in front of a small hole, just big enough for a small child to crawl through.<p>

"I have to." he said, standing up and brushing the dirt from his knees. He turned around to look at her. "You're cold? When we were in Zora's Domain, you didn't react to the ice at all."

"I was a little to worked up and angry to notice myself freezing to death." she laughed, her breath coming out in a puff of steam.

"You should go wait up in Kakariko, where its warmer." Link said walking over to her.

She shook her head, "No, I'll wait here for you to return."

He smiled, "Okay." He turned around and dropped down in front of the little hole, about to go through.

"Wait, Link." Samantha said, making him pause and look back at her. "Don't get yourself killed down there. Be careful." she smiled. He grinned, and laughed.  
>"Aren't I always?" he said, then disappeared out of sight. Left in the ominous darkness of the bottom of the well, Samantha sat with her back against the cold stone wall. After the first half-hour of darkness, her eyes seemed to want to play tricks on her. Faces kept jumping up out of the shadows, each one looking more and more like her dad as they vanished. Terrified of them, she closed her eyes, hoping to find solitude. Seconds passed by without a disturbance, then the faces came again behind her eyelids. Opening her eyes with an annoyed exhale of air, she stared at the well around her.<br>_Nobody is there, why am I so scared?  
><em> Swallowing back fear, she lifted her hand in front of her, barely visible in the dim light. She focused on her hand, not the shapes swirling around in her peripherals. Within a few seconds her hand was aflame, but it didn't hurt her one bit. In fact, the flames were comforting as they lit up the damp well. No more faces, just flames. Relaxing back against the wall, she waited quietly for her friend to return.

* * *

><p>"It looks so... unimpressive." Samantha said, holding the Lens of Truth in front of her.<br>Link reached up to take it from her, but she held it up higher, still looking. "C'mon, I wanna see it, too!" he said in protest.  
>"Well.." she started, lowering her arms and handing it to him. "Not my fault you couldn't reach." she laughed.<p>

"Oh, just you wait till I am tall again..." he said, tucking the lens away. "Speaking of which, time to go back to the temple."

"Alright, but I wanna have fun with your shortness while it lasts..."

Link looked up with her, "How?"  
>Samantha smiled brightly and charged off towards the entrance to Hyrule field as fast as her long legs could carry her. She heard Link shout behind her, but continued to run. By the time she reached the temple she was completely out of breath and sat on the steps leading up to the pedestal. Roughly ten minutes later, Link came running up, as equally exhausted.<p>

"You are so going to pay for that." he said, catching his breath.

"I know... but it was funny." she said, skipping over to the pedestal. He clambered slowly over to her and placed a small hand on the hilt of the sword.

"What if it doesn't work?" he asked, staring at the blade.

"It will. Now do you want to be short forever, or are you going to show that sword who's boss."

With a grin, Link jumped up onto the pedestal itself so that he could grasp the hilt comfortably with both hands. With effort, he pulled it up and out of the hard rock pedestal, and held it loosely in front of himself. Moments later, the same blue light surrounded them. Samantha still closed her eyes for good measure, despite the fast she knew what would happen.

She knew it was safe to open her eyes when she heard the clink of a sword begin but back in its sheath. Standing in front of her was Link, his normal height. He looked down at her, and smiled.

"Now who's taller?" he said.

Samantha crossed her arms, "Only by a few inches... don't get cocky."

"I will if I want to." he replied, hugging her. She hugged him back, but smacked him in the shoulder when he whispered in her ear, "It makes me laugh."

"Shouldn't we be going to the temple in Kakariko?" she said, pointing at the exit.

He glanced over at the door lazily, "I guess..." he muttered.

They walked off in silence through Castle Town. The ReDeads no longer bothered to look at them as they passed by. The field had changed from bright greens and blues to dull greens and blues from the small amount of time they had spent inside. The walk to Kakariko seemed shorter then before, probably due to the fact that they could travel at their normal pace with Links legs back to their normal length. When the stone steps up to the village came into view, Samantha picked up her pace. Her change of speed didn't go unnoticed when Link remarked, "Try running away from me again, and you'll see what happens."

Samantha turned around to see him grinning, and replied, "And if I do?"

He gestured towards the stairs, silently saying _Go ahead._

She smirked, and turned back towards the path she was traveling on. She walked at the same pace for a few seconds, then broke out into a sprint. She thought she was ahead of him, until he picked her up from behind and threw her casually over his shoulder.

"Told you I would get you back." he said laughing as he continued walking onwards.

Samantha hung there limply, and looked down at the ground sweeping past her, feeling a bit nauseous.

"Am I seriously that light you can just pick me up?" she asked.

"Yep." he replied. When he reached the base of the stairs, he reached up and put her back down on her own two feet, smiling. Samantha childishly stuck out her tongue at him, and continued up the steps. The village was calmer then before, but still beard burn marks from the other night. The graveyard remained just as it was, though. Even the same Poe circled around the place, looking for someone to torment.

Thy walked past all the graves to the very back and looked up at a fenced in area a few feet above them. With an amount of effort, they both climbed up and wandered down int the chamber below.

Torches were lined up in a circle around a small platform in the middle of the room. Directly across from the entrance was a large stone door adorned with the Eye of the Sheikah.

"I think we have to light all the torches?" Link inquired, looking around.

"That's it? Easy." Samantha said, jumping up onto the platform. She eyed the torch directly in front of her, and it immediately burst into flames. Then the two on either side of it lit up with the same speed and intensity. Then the one on either side of those, and so on and so forth.

Eventually they were all lit with a dancing red flame, and the great stone door slid upwards out of sight with a loud grinding noise revealing a dark path.

"How did you.." Link said, staring amazed at the lit torch beside him.

"Magic." Samantha said back, jumping down and walking over though the door.

Link came up behind her and they both stared into the darkness.

"Well," Link said sarcastically. "This will be so much fun."


	8. Chapter 8

"We've been here for about five minutes, and I already _hate _it down here." Samantha said angrily, glaring down into the bottomless pit that divided them from the door on the other side. An eerie stone bird was behind them, and had whispered a riddle at them as they walked by, causing Samantha to scream like a little girl and cower behind Link.

"Me too." he said, turning back around to face the bird statue. "What do you think we should do about that... bird thing?"

"Make its 'beak face the skull of truth' and hope we don't die in the process?" she suggested, walking up to it. A small square was placed in front of it topped off with spikes, most likely there to push the statue around, Samantha thought. She sauntered up to it and shoved the square, and it swung around easily, stopping dead at the first pillar with a skull on top of it.

"I did it?" she asked, taking a step towards the square again. As soon as she put her foot down, the floor dropped out from underneath her. Throwing her arms out, she grabbed onto one of the spikes atop the pushing square, and dangled above yet another pit.

"Shit." she grumbled, climbing up the statue onto the ominous birds back.

Link walked to the edge of the pit, laughing. "I knew that would happen."

"And you didn't stop me?"

"I didn't know you would push it!"

"You are in the presence of an idiot." Samantha said, resting her arms on top of the birds head. "Accept it."

"Already have..." he said, walking around the pit. "I suppose sooner or later it should close up again, unless that creepy bird can tell your sitting on it and not dead and mangled at the bottom of the pit..."  
>"Gee, thanks." Samantha replied sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better about this."<br>He shrugged, "It's the truth, sadly."

"I noticed... sadly."

"Well, for now I guess I'll look around the place while you... sit there." She gave him a thumbs up as he walked away, examining the walls. "Maybe there is a false wall somewhere around here..." he said, running his hands along the wall.

"Why don't you use that lens?" Samantha suggested from atop her perch.

"Hmm.." he said, pulling it out. "Why didn't I think of that..." Holding it in front of him like a magnifying glass, he walked slowly around the room, examining each thing that came in his path. When he walked up to one of the square carvings in the wall, each bearing a monsters face grinning in a devious manner, he stopped and said, "I found it."

"Found what? A wall?" Samantha said looking down into the pit, searching in vain for the bottom.

"No, a door." Link said, and promptly walked through the carving in the wall.  
>"HEY!"<p>

He ran back, "What?"

"I'm still stuck up here, and you have the bold idea to walk through a freaking _wall_!"

He laughed, "It's not a wall, its a... well, I don't know what it is exactly, but its definitely not a wall... or at least, not a solid one."

"I'm still stuck up here, though." she said, looking down at him. "You were just going to leave me here to fall to my death?" she frowned.

"What! No! Never! I – " he began, but was cut off by a loud scraping noise. The floor of the pit was slowly retreating back into place. It took a whole agonizing minute of listening to that noise, then the floor was finally in tact, and the bird statue swung back into its starting position. Samantha hopped down relieved, and ran past the boundaries of the pit, onto what she hoped was solid ground and not another death trap.

"I'm alive!" she cheered, throwing her hands up in the air.

"That's good." Link said, walking up and hugging her.

"No thanks to you, mister!"

"Sorry I can't walk on thin air." he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"You could always try." she said, smiling evilly.

He rolled his eyes as she skipped off towards the invisible wall. Without hesitation, she went right through it. In complete amazement and amusement, she burst out laughing at the fact she didn't just face plant the wall. Link walked up to her, his eyebrows raised in question.

"I think I'm going insane." she said in a happy voice, smiling.

He shook his head, "You're already there..."

She ignored his comment, and twisted the knob on the metal door, eager to see what was on the other side. Beyond the door stood another room with brown panel walls. Placed in the center of each square panel was a skull with gleaming eyes. They seemed to watch the duo as the door slowly shut behind them.

"This is where we die." Samantha said, trying to be epic.

Link, however, had already began walking with the Lens of Truth raised in search of their next exit. When he found it, he called her over and they continued on into another room exactly the same as the one before. When the found their path, it was blocked by a sliding metal door. With a slight touch, it flung upwards, allowing them entrance. They sauntered through into the square room. It seemed empty at first, then the door slammed and locked behind them, and six pairs of hands sprang up through the dirt floor.

They both jumped back in surprise, not wanting to be grabbed.

"Crap, I hate that thing..." Link said, staring at the swaying hands.

"What in hell is it?" Samantha asked, back pressed against the metal door.

"A Dead Hand!" Navi said, zooming out from beneath Link's hat. "It's infinite hands will grab you and hold on tight, if you don't watch out!"

Samantha groaned, "Great.. and whats the easiest way to dispose of... whatever those hands belong to?"

"Easiest way?" Navi said in a thoughtful tone. "Well, I suppose one of you will go get ensnared by one of the hands, and the other attacks the Dead Hand when it appears to eat the other."

"That's the _easiest_ way?" Samantha said, looking at one of the pale hands.

"Yeah... good luck!" Navi squeaked as she flew beneath Links hat. He looked over at Samantha, then glanced at one of the nearby hands.

"I knew this is where we die..." she mumbled, unlatching herself from the safety of the door. She walked slowly up to one of the swaying limbs. She took note of its detail: pale white, splotched in red, and tipped with sharp red claws to match. She inwardly freaked out as she stuck out her arm for the thing to grab. It continued to sway, despite her closeness.

"Hello...?" she asked it, waggling her arm in the air in front of her. It continued its peaceful motion, completely oblivious to her presence. Samantha took a tentative step forward. She was about to lower her raised arm, when the clawed hand lashed out and grabbed her head.

"SON OF A – " she screamed as the repulsive thing dug its claws into her scalp. A gurgling noise had started from beside her, but she was to preoccupied to notice. When she finally decided to open here eyes and look for Link, she saw a grotesque creature sliding towards her. It had an abnormally large grinning mouth, armed with large and numerous teeth. Its body was the same color and texture of its arms, and sprouted two tiny spiked hands of its own. As it slid towards her, she noticed its black expressionless eyes. The simple sight of them made her panic, and start kicking the arm that held her frantically.

It all seemed over to Samantha as the thing reared its head in front of her, mouth opening immensely wide. But then Link jumped in the way, shoving his sword up through its jaw. It let out a dying groan as it flopped uselessly to the ground, all of its arms following suit and dropping as well.

The hand holding onto Samantha released her and fell like dead weight at her feet. She jumped back repulsed, and tripped over the things dead body right next to her. Surprised, she scrambled backwards until her back hit the wall. Link put his sword away, and rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked worried as he examined her head.

"Mhm." she mumbled, still staring at the creature that almost ate her.

"You don't look okay..."

She was about to reply again that she was fine, until a motion behind him caught her eye. A brown treasure chest was slowly turning from opaque to solid, sitting in the center of the dirty room.

"Look." she said, pointing at it. He turned around to look at what she was pointing at, then immediately went over to it and lifted it open. Samantha stood up and walked over to him, curious as to what was inside. He lifted up a pair of boots with golden sole's and little matching wings.

"About not being able to walk on air..." he laughed.

* * *

><p>"I think that has to be the coolest thing in this entire dark, murky, grimy, disgusting place.." Samantha said in awe as she looked up at the large wooden ship in front of them.<p>

"I agree.." Link said, equally amazed.

It floated on a white fog instead of water, but was completely still. They climbed up a ladder to a platform level with the ferry. Hopping over the small gap, they stood upon the massive deck.

"What now?" Samantha wondered.

Link was looking down at a bright gold marking of the Triforce beneath their feet, "Music."

"I can't sing, you're on your own."

He laughed, "Not singing, my ocarina." He pulled it out and played a quick handful of notes. Large bells attached to the front of the ferry began chiming from an unseen and felt breeze, and the entire structure shook. Slowly it began moving forward upon its river of mist.

"I don't know about you," Samantha said cheerfully. "But I personally love this thing."

"It's kinda eerie.." he said, looking at the bird figurehead at the front of the ship.

"Eerie?" she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I think its kind of romantic."

He smirked down at her, and hugged her back, "Oh, really?"

"Yes." she said simply, looking up at him. "Don't you?"

He laughed and leaned in closer, when a loud thunk was heard on either side of them. Two Stalfos had decided to drop in, and were smiling toothily at them.

"Hello there..." Samantha said to the one near the front, surprised. Link had already moved menacingly towards the one at the back, leaving her with the one at the front. It stomped over in her direction swinging its large sword, so she hopped aside towards the edge. It continued to stalk her, and swung again. Samantha continued to hop aside until she and the Stalfos had traded places, and now it stoop with its back to the edge. With a quick motion, she ran full tilt towards it, and threw her shoulder into it. The surprised Stalfos stumbled backwards off of the ship, and down through the mist. She smiled triumphantly, and looked over to see Link putting his sword away and walking over to her, his Stalfos a pile of crumbling while bones littered on the deck.

"Where did the other one go?" he said, glancing around.

"I pushed it off the edge!"

"Smart."

She laughed, "I know!"

Throughout the time it had taken them to dispose of the unwanted guests, a platform was appearing through the haze on the left of the ship. When the ferry was parallel to it, it stopped suddenly and started to shudder.

"Abandon ship!" Link yelled, grabbing Samantha by the arm and jumping of the sinking ferry with Samantha trailing behind him. When their feet touched ground they turned to see their ride drop down into yet another bottomless pit. Behind them, dividing them from a metal door, was another pit.

"I hate pits." Samantha grumbled, looking up at a bird statue on the other side. "And birds."

"The feeling is mutual." Link said, looking around. He spotted another door to the right of them, and they went over to explore. On the other side was an invisible maze, plagued with Floormasters. They carefully maneuvered quickly between it, and arrived at another door.

Inside, the door locked behind them. Two wooden walls on either side of them adorned with spikes began sliding in.

"What do we do?" Samantha frantically asked, clinging to Link.

"I don't know!"

The walls continued to glide smoothly towards them, promising pain and death. Fear stabbed Samantha as she watched them inch closer. She fought against it, trying to find a way out of their situation. As soon as the spikes were barley a foot away from them, she closed her eyes and let her fear envelope her. She didn't see it happen, but she could tell by the sudden intense heat of the room that the wooden death trap had burst into flames by her doing.

Link was staring into the flames wide-eyed, shocked at their sudden appearance. When they had died down, the floor was covered in black ashes.

"What was that.." Link wondered out loud.

"Maybe it was a trick." Samantha supplied. "You know, just to scare us?"

He looked down at her with the same confused and shocked look he had given the flames. "Maybe.."

Swiftly, Samantha hiked up her skirt and hopped over the smoldering ashes and opened the decorative blue and gold chest, yanking out the jeweled key that sat inside. "Let's go." she said quickly, walking out. When they came out, Samantha looked up at the bird statue that stood across from her. Looking below it, she saw a patch of bomb flowers sitting untouched.

"Hit those with an arrow." she pointed. He nodded and readied his bow. The arrow flew straight and true, striking one of the explosive plants. It blew up on cue and the rest copied, causing the statue to crumble at the bottom and fall forwards, striking the ground on their half with the bird's head.

"Tada! A bridge!" She said, jumping on it and walking over to the opposite end. Link followed behind her. They went on forwards the rest of the way without a hitch.

"Well, here we are.." The great door towered over them, locked up tight. Samantha held the key loosely in her hand as she looked at it. Link took a deep breath, and motioned for her to unlock the door. She did, and they both went inside. All that was there was a circular room dimly lit, and in the center of the floor was a hole, leading down into a dark pit.

Samantha peered down into it, "I. Hate. Pits." she growled, but then jumped down into it without fear. Link yelled out in surprise, but went right after her, and they both tumbled down into what they thought was the abyss.

* * *

><p>They sat in the graveyard, their backs against the cold stone tablet next to the gravediggers hut. There was a slight breeze blowing, and the skies were clear over Kakariko Village for once in a long time. The evil had been banished from the shadows of the temple, another sage had been awakened, and they had decided to take a well deserved break deprived of monsters, wicked creatures, and a constant feeling of evil and death following them.<p>

At next mornings light they had decided to go to the Gerudo Fortress in search of the next temple. Link was thrilled, he had never seen the inside of the place before; Samantha was mortified, her cover was about to be blown by the people she called family and friends.

Her fear had convinced her to run off in the middle of the night all the way to her desert home, and to command her loyal gang of thieves to act as if she had never met them, or befriended them. She thought the journey would take less time than she originally thought, but by the time she had ran back to Kakariko, Link had already ran of in desperate search of her.

All the while, Sheik watched and listened, silent as a shadow following Samantha.


	9. Chapter 9

"Lose something?" a quiet voice said from above her. Samantha let out a sigh and looked up into the swaying branches of the tree, the voice recognized and unwanted. Sheik was crouched upon a lower branch, looking down at her with emotionless red eyes.

"Why are you up there?" Samantha said, staring up at the Sheikah. Within the cold dead of night, she ran all the way from the small and peaceful village to her sand blanketed domain. Within the few hours she had been away, Link had woken up alone and wandered of, probably in search of her. The main part of the last hour had been spent silently sulking around Kakariko, waiting for him to return. She had sat down only for a minute when the voice broke her fretting. "Have you been following me, Sheik?"

"Following you?" Sheik said, eyes crinkling as if to smile. "Heavens no, I have merely been sitting in this tree. A tree that you decided to sit underneath."

"Sorry for intruding." She got up and walked off. At that moment Samantha wanted to be anywhere but within Sheik's presence. But without delay, the Sheikah jumped down and strode briskly after her. She wheeled around to face her follower. "Alright, now you really are following me."

"What? Am I not allowed to walk with a friend?"

Samantha stuttered, "Fr-friend?" She cracked out a bark of laughter. "You detest me. I can tell."

"Can you really?"

"Yeah." she said crossing her arms. "I really can."

"How so?"  
>Samantha frowned, "Do you answer everything with a question?"<p>

Sheik shrugged, and waited for her to reply. Grumbling to herself, she took a step closer. "You want to know how I know that you hate me, am I correct?"

"That you are."

"Great." She said, turning away and walking off. Sheik continued the pursuit. The reached the bottom of the stairs to Kakariko before Sheik spoke up again.

"You never answered my first question. Did you lose something?"

"Lose?" she pretended to ponder the question. "Nope. Bye!" She charged on, not knowing exactly where she wanted to go. Anywhere the Sheikah couldn't was all she wanted. As Samantha walked, she looked down at the soft green grass touching her bare feet with each step. It stretched in every direction, broken only by the dirt path that snaked throughout the field. She walked over and looked down at the path, and thought longingly of her sandy home. Sighing, she followed it home hoping that Sheik would leave by the time the grass died off into the harsh rocky terrain of the Gerudo Valley.

A slight breeze was flowing through the air, blowing Samanthas hair into her face. For a few minutes, she thought the pesky Sheikah had given up, but when she brushed her hair back, there Sheik walked. Her wish came true as soon as she set foot upon the dying earth. Sheik slipped away unnoticed and wasn't seen again. Upon entering the fortress, her friend Naloa came rushing up to her, curved sword in hand.

"You came back again!" Naloa said with a toothy grin. Her straight flamboyant red hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and she wore the traditional clothes of her people. "I thought you said you were bringing someone with you and we were supposed to act like we didn't know you.. but no one is here besides you?"

"Yeah, kinda got sidetracked.." Samantha said, smiling back at her old friend.

Naloa chattered away like she usually did as they sauntered towards the fortress. The guards respectfully inclined their heads to Samantha, but other then that acted as if she wasn't there.

"So, in the end, I ended up having guard duty over at the bridge but I got bored and wandered off, and that's when you came along!" Naloa finished.

"You? Guard duty? Have they gone mad?" Samantha laughed as her friend accidentally dropped her sword on her toe, and squealed in pain.

"Hey! I did good! I caught some guy trying to sneak in here!" Naloa protested, smiling. "He thought he was clever, but nope! I captured him and threw him in the prison, green pointed hat and all!"

"Green what?"

"Hat! He was wearing a green hat. Dressed in green too, and with a big sword. Had to take it away from him, he was fighting tooth and nail to get free. Said something about his friend going missing, I think?"

Samantha swallowed and tried to act normal, "Oh, did you get his name?"

"Yeah, it was something really simple... not that long.. Dang it, I can't remember!"

"Oh. Well, I should go check in on that.. Not a lot of people try and break into our little slice of paradise, hah.."

"Probably should, you are in charge around here." Naloa said as she danced off in the direction of the dungeons. Samantha followed at her own pace, greeting those she passed by. When she arrived, Naloa was twirling a set of big brass keys. Upon seeing Samantha, she tossed them at her, nailing her in the face.

"Um, ow?" Samantha said as she picked up the keys to the sound of Naloa's hysterical laughter.

"Didn't mean to do that!" she managed to get out.

Samantha smirked, "Sure you didn't."

"Anyways," Naloa said when she regained her breath. "He's in the solitaire one on the opposite side of the fortress, have fun! I have to go and.. do guard things?"

"You're supposed to stay where you're stationed as a guard, not wander off."

"Oh well, maybe one day." Naloa skipped away, ruffling Samanthas hair as she always did on the way past. Samantha turned and walked through the dusty stone hallways, her footsteps echoing around her. When she came upon the room with Link, she entered and closed the door quietly behind her.

He lay on the ground – whether actually asleep or faking she didn't know – with one arm casually thrown across his forehead. She walked up quietly, and opened the iron barred door of his cell. Samantha padded over silently and knelt down beside him. She lifted his hand up off of his forehead gently, putting it back down beside him.

"Wakey wakey?" she said, shaking his shoulder gently. He incoherently muttered something, and batted her hand away. Samantha smiled and laughed silently to herself. Despite what Naloa had said about him fighting them back, he seemed unharmed for the most part.

She poked him in the nose, "Wake up."

He shifted in his sleep, grumbling. "Mnn... No.."

Rolling her eyes, she leaned down and kissed him, hoping it would startle him enough to wake up and stay up. It worked. He reached up and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her close. Amused, she squirmed out of his arms, and grinned down at him.

"Knew it would work."

He opened one eye to look at her, "You cruel woman."

"So I've been told." She smiled. "How in hell did you get yourself locked up in here?"

"I went looking for you, and since this is where we were going the next morning, I figured you might be around here." He looked her up and down. "I was right, in a sense. How did you manage to not get locked up, also?"

Samantha frowned, wondering how to answer. "Uh, I'm thinking its because I am of the female sex, and you of the male. And they hate males, therefore, throwing you in their prison."

"Huh... Guess that makes sense." He sat up. "And they just let you come in here?"

"Well, I had to ask..." she said, looking away.

"Right.. Is something wrong?"

"Nope, why would anything be wrong?"

"You're acting strange.."

Samantha laughed, it sounded fake to her ears. "No I'm not. You're going crazy from being locked up."

"Alright. Something is definitely up." He stood up, and she followed suit.

"How so?"

"You're on edge, did the Gerudo say they would hurt you or some other savage thing?"

"What?" She automatically got defensive. "No, they wouldn't _ever_ say that to me! What gives you that impression?" Samantha folded her arms defiantly. Link raised his eyebrows at her response. She automatically regretted what she said, and searched her brain for an excuse that wouldn't make her seem crazy.

"Wouldn't ever say that to _you_?" he asked, frowning. "Is there something I should know?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I was hoping you might know."

Samantha stood there staring up at him. Part of her wanted to tell him that she had been hired by her dad – the man he was trying to kill – to kill him, her best friend. The thought of it made her skin craw with fear, but looking at him she hated herself for lying through her teeth. Another part of her wanted to run away and hide, and conjure up some plausible lie explaining her erratic behavior. Yet, as she stood there and waited for her reply, different reactions flew threw her head. Hatred and anger, betrayal, sadness, forgiveness and love. Sighing deeply, she decided to just ride the lighting and see where it lead. _Better hearing it from me now, than my dad later, _she thought bitterly, _Sheik is going to absolutely adore me... _

"Listen." she said, making herself look up and meet his eyes. "I haven't entirely been honest from the beginning..."

"Go on."

"Well, its kind of hard to explain, and I have no idea where to begin but... I may have been hired by someone to kill you." She closed her eyes in shame. "I had no choice, I couldn't say no to him, he was my father, I didn't even believe that you would come back, you've been gone for so long and I had lost hope.. I had planned on making it quick, you wouldn't have even had the bad luck to see my face, but as soon as I saw you I knew I couldn't. After awhile, I thought I could somehow find a way to weasel my way out of it but, well, I haven't yet..." She opened her eyes and met his gaze. "Link, I love you. You're my best friend. I would never hurt you."

Throughout her speech, Link had remained expressionless, listening to her words intently. When she was done, he sighed deeply and looked down at her without the slightest hint of feeling or expression in his eyes. Samantha would have accepted anger, or sadness, but the cold blankness was making her want to run off and cry to her dad.

Eventually, he took a deep breath. "Who's your father." he said in a monotone voice.

"My father.." she felt her heart beat inside her frantically. Lying would get her absolutely nowhere, so she looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Ganondorf."

He stared back at her with the same expressionless mask, "Ganondorf, as in the Gerudo King?"

"Yes.. I'm so sorry. Please.. I know you have every right to be angry, but.." _But what? _She wondered. _It's over. I blew it, and now I have to face the consequences. _

"Are they allowing me to go?" he asked.

She looked up at him, "Uh.. yeah. If I tell them to leave you alone."

"Tell them." he said, and strode briskly past her out of the jail cell. Though every part of her wanted to curl up into a ball and sit inside that jail cell forever, she chased after him.

"Wait!" she said as he made his way to the door.

He turned around to look at her, "What."

"Let me escort you out, they won't bother you."

"Fine." he said, and continued. Samantha followed along beside him, waving aside the guards who looked at her funny. The short walk to the bridge seemed to stretch for eons. When they finally arrived, Naloa was standing casually against one of the posts. When she saw them walking up she skipped over to Samantha and said cheerfully, "You're letting the prisoner go? You're dad might be angry, you know he doesn't like us doing that without his consent."

Link scowled and continued walking, ignoring Naloa completely.

"Not now, Nal." Samantha said, quickly following after him. She walked him all the way to the field, and by the looks of it he didn't plan on stopping and talking to her, so she grabbed his hand quickly before he could venture to far. He jerked it away automatically, and turned to face her.

"Please." she begged. "Just say _something_. Scream. Yell. I don't care, just anything but this.. this blank emptiness."

He looked at her, his expression unchanged. "I don't have anything to say."

With that, he walked off. She stood there and watched him go, and not once did he look back. Her throat felt like it was constricted, but she would not allow herself to cry. After he had been out of view for five minutes, she turned and slowly walked back home.

Naloa was still standing where she had left her, and upon sight of her friend she ran over.

"What happened?" she said automatically, studying Samantha's face.

"Nothing." Samantha replied. Naloa frowned.

"You look like somebody just died and your about to break down crying."

Samantha sighed, and forced out a weak smile. "Nope, just tired. I think I'm gonna go sleep in my old bed.." she said, thinking longingly of her large four poster bed with the orange sheets. She walked off before Naloa could reply or protest. The walk seemed much longer than the previous one, but at least now nobody was staring at her. Silent as a shadow, she went to the roof of the fortress. There in the sand colored stone was a square wooden trap door. She yanked it open and walked down the steps into her room, divided off from all the others. Closing the little door, she walked over and jumped onto her bed, curling up within the warm blankets and praying for sleep.

Sleep didn't come, and she was left staring at the bland ceiling. Samantha wondered what she would do with herself. She thought about going to live with her dad up in the blackened walls of Hyrule Castle, but was immediately against it. Facing him was the last thing she wanted at the moment, and despite everything, she blamed him for her current situation. Rolling over, she thought of their previous plans to go to the Spirit Temple. Seeing her grandmothers might be the best thing for her, they never got angry at her or disappointed. They were always happy to see her, and right now she needed a friendly face.

Sighing, she squirmed once again and lay flat on her stomach. All she wanted was sleep. For the temporary removal of thought and feeling. She hated herself for feeling this way, but no matter how many times she mentally yelled at herself, she still couldn't let him go. Eventually, she let herself give in and began to cry.

"I'm pathetic." she said out loud, sniffling. "Crying myself to sleep. Why don't I go stand on a damn balcony and stare into the distance as the wind blows in my hair, at least then I will be doing something other then lying here in my own misery." Samantha laughed bitterly at herself.

The need to cry had passed, and the undying need for sleep grew. Rolling over to her side, she stared out of the small window placed in the wall next to her bed. The sky was clear, and the moonlight shining through illuminated her room.

Grumbling, she got up and slammed the wooden shades shut and turned to face the dark room. Satisfied, she went back and pulled her blankets over her head, drifting almost instantaneously to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Tiny little insignificant grains of sand flowed through her fingers and back into their small mounds at her feet. No breeze touched them, and until she decided to swipe at them again, they would remain that way. Apart from each other, they were nothing but miniscule rocks that couldn't even be picked up on their own without great strain and effort. Together, they twisted and swirled into the great rolling hills and sweeping plains of the desert that ruled the section of Hyrule that Samantha could call her home.

Sitting alone, she watched the sun set over the hot wasteland. Wearing an emotionless mask, Samantha sat crossed legged on the steps in front of the ancient Spirit Temple. Determinedly waiting for her grandmothers to return from wherever they were, to her morbid solitude. Hours swept by as fast as the sand slipping from her fingers, and yet they did not make an appearance.

Getting there was easy.

Upon waking up, she made herself presentable and walked towards the great wooden gate that divided the fortress from the rolling waves of sand. A quick authoritative snap of her fingers, and the guards on duty at the time sprang into action, pulling heavy ropes down as the great gate went up. Without a word or a glance, Samantha left and trekked all the way to the temple without pause, wrapped up in her blanket of sullenness.

Waiting was the hard part.

Nothing stirred or changed around her, so no distraction could be found. Staring ever forwards, and sitting with her back straight as a spear. To pass the time, she imagined a large grandfather clock sitting inside of her head, ticking away without pause. Each hour, minute, and second was being kept track of by her imagined clock, and a little man with a big nose holding a sheet of paper, scratching away. A strange sense of comfort, but she accepted it none the less.

As the sun finally set, the land around her grew cold and foreboding. With a sigh, she stood up stiffly and sauntered inside. The vast foyer stood the same as it had before. Vast. Ancient. And homely. The room was as quiet as the first time she had entered, hours before. She walked through the temple with complete ease, as the terrors that lurked within all but stood aside in terror as she strode by, gloomy and hostile.

Samantha walked to the great room that her grandmothers were most frequently found. It was concealed within the stone statue of a Gerudo in one of the main chambers. In it stood five towering stone platforms. One large one in the center, covered in a soft and decorative red carpet, and four others on each of its sides. Bricks jutted out on the corners of the larger one, and she climbed up easily, and sat in the center of the carpet. She barely made a sound, but she remembered from past visits how this room could become alive with the echos of the living. Yells of mothers as their child came into the world in the sacred room. Vows spoken as the child grew, forever one of the dynasty. Shouts as they fought. Screams as they died. Cries as they mourned. The room had seen it all, just as it saw her now.

The absence of her grandmothers in the timeworn room made her feel uneasy. Void of any other living creature besides herself, it almost seemed eerily quiet. Quietly, she began to hum a tune to herself softly, but the sound of her own voice coming to life around her made her feel vulnerable and exposed. Ceasing the tune, she turned and sat facing the door she came in, continuing her vigil. Once again the hours passed as she sat in silence. Eventually the need for sleep crept up on her again, and this time she gave in willingly. Lying on her side, she felt the soft carpet brush her cheek before she drifted off into a land where the little man and the grandfather clock didn't need to keep time.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, little princess." a voice crooned in her ear. With an irritated grumble, she swiped in the general direction of the voice. A cackling laugh was heard on the opposite side the first voice had spoken.<p>

"She's half asleep, and still is stubborn as a mule."

"Mule? Seriously?" she reluctantly opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of Koume and Kotake. The latter smiled down at her, "It's alive, apparently."

"Apparently?" Samantha said defensively.

"You look like the dead, child." Koume smiled down at her.

"Do not.." she grumbled back, sitting up straight. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked into their shining lights of ice and fire. Kotake flew off on her broomstick, leaving her with Koume. He ancient grandmother smiled down at her as warm as the fire that was her hair.

"So, how have you been, my little rebel?"  
>"Rebel?" Samantha swallowed back a sudden stab of fear. Her grandmother, Koume, had always been more attentive than her twin sister, Kotake. Surreptitiously wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, she stood up. "Since when have I been a rebel?"<p>

Koume laughed gleefully, "You can't hide anything from me, child. I'm the smarter one in the family, and you're just a teenage girl."

"Gee, grandma. Was that sentimental, or am I missing something?"

"Scratch that. You're a _smart ass_ teenage girl." Koume smiled, and drifted down to her level. "I've been following you around. Do you really think we'd just leave you to your own devices? You've never had any hubris, and I was worried something might go.. wrong."

"Wrong?" Samantha looked at her grandmother. Her tone was genial, but she felt like she was holding back something. "Well, you might as well tell me. What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing."

She blanked, "Nothing?"

"Exactly! Nothing! You're only human. How are we – meaning Kotake, your father, and I – going to stop you from having feelings for someone who has been nothing but kind to you." Koume flew closer to her, making her hair send rivulets of light around her, blinding Samantha to anything but her grandmother. "I don't expect you to kill the boy. Not now, and not ever. On any normal circumstance, like say one of the others who's names are beyond me remembering, decided to do what you did, their head would be in a pike!" Samantha's eyes widened slightly and she took on an unhealthy pallor, but she showed other outwards sign of discomfort. "You're my granddaughter! My _only_ granddaughter! Forgive me for showing you some clemency! If you love the boy, then who am I to stop you?"

"Really? You mean it?" Samantha said with inflection.

"Yes, child!" Koume said. "Kotake agrees, too. But, she's not as good as putting thought into words, that's why she flew off in shame, but lets keep that last part between you and me." she gave Samantha a glittering red wink. Samantha smiled gratefully at her grandmother, but then suddenly frowned.  
>"What about dad?" she wondered.<p>

"We will deal with that puffed up overlord, sweetie." Kotake said, drifting back into their conversation. "He will _not_ be happy. But – _and don't you ever tell him this_ – we think he isn't ready to take over Hyrule just yet. But don't tell the Hero of Time to quit his day job, Ganondorf won't give up without a fight."

"What do you mean by that?" a familiar voice said behind her. Turning around, she saw Link standing there with his sword held loosely in his hand, the point resting lightly on the ground. The quick glance he reluctantly gave her was insouciant, but she could tell he was preparing to defend himself.

"Oh, hello!" Koume said giddily, gliding over to him. "We were just talking about you, my boy!" Link frowned, but didn't move away from the witch.

Kotake stayed beside Samantha. "He figured you out, didn't he?" she whispered quietly.

"That bomb dropped sometime after we got out of that dirty Shadow Temple."  
>"<em>Ooooh<em>, you poor child." Kotake said, patting Samantha on the shoulder and following after her sister. After a moments hesitation, Samantha followed. The two sisters had taken up the act of circling him sinisterly, while carrying out a conversation over his head. Link gave her a quick reproachful look, as if it was her fault he was being caged in by them.

"Green is your color, lad, I must admit. Me? Well I cannot pull off green, but red really brings out my fire." Koume smiled.

Kotake looked down at herself, "I bet I could pull green off."

"Stick to blue, grandma." Samantha smiled. Link looked at her questioningly.

"Grandma?"

"Yes." she said, blushing involuntarily. "These are my grandmothers, Koume and Kotake."

"Nice to meet you, boy!" Koume smiled. Samantha thought the smile was friendly enough, but to him it might be more threatening. "From what we have heard, our lovely granddaughter thinks very highly of you!"

Kotake flew a bit closer to him, "You'd be wise to not mess that up."  
>"Grandma." Samantha said warningly, walking over to stand beside Link so he wasn't alone while her grandmothers interrogated him. Other than relaxing his shoulders a bit, he didn't react to her being there. "Leave the poor guy alone."<p>

"Oh, you're no fun!" Kotake chuckled. "Come along, Koume!" With a flash of bright colorful light, they disappeared from the room. To where exactly, Samantha had no idea.

She turned to look at Link, who was pulling away his sword due to the fact that the two main threats in the room had dispersed. He looked quietly down at her, as she blushed embarrassed.

"Sorry about them."

He nodded, looking around the place. "Do you live here?"

"No... but they do." she replied. "Would you feel better if we went outside?"

"Yeah." He said, and started towards the door. Samantha followed quietly beside him, mildly surprised he hadn't started yelling at her yet. When they stepped foot outside, the sun was just setting and the desert was cooling down. The coldness of the nights were in huge contrast compared to the heat of the days.

Link stopped at the base of the short stack of stairs, and turned around to look at her walking silently towards him.

"So," he said, unsure now to start. "How have you been?"

Samantha blanked. "Uhm.. crummy. Yourself?"

"Same."

Samantha looked down at her shoeless feet, which were relatively clean. She remembered distantly someone telling her a pure heart repels dirt. She laughed silently to herself.

"What are you laughing at?"

She glanced up. "Oh, nothing. Just my feet."

"Your feet?" he said questioningly, taking a step forwards.

"It was just something someone told me. Nothing important."

"Ahh..." he said, looking down at her feet. Self-consciously, she shifted so her skirt covered them. He looked back up, meeting her eyes with a sigh. She smiled automatically at him, and he looked at her, brow creased with thought. Confused, she looked away towards the horizon. The sun had completely set, bathing the land in a cold darkness.

Samantha shivered and wrapped her arms around herself thinking about the inevitable cold.

"Are you cold?" Link asked.

"A little. I'm not used to the cold of the desert at night."

"Here." he said, climbing the remainder of the steps. Hesitantly, he went up to her and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. Despite the chill in the air, he was surprisingly warm, so Samantha happily hugged him right back, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"You're really warm." she commented.

"Oh, I ran here. That's probably why." he said into her hair.

She could feel the fast beating of his heart. "Ran here? Why?"

"Uhh.." Link stammered.

She shifted in his grasp to look up at him and, to her surprise, he was blushing. She tilted her head to the side questioningly. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes.

"I ran here because your friend – Koala, was it?"

"Naloa."

"Right, Naloa. Well, she told me that you had left the fortress and went to the Spirit Temple, and I.." he trailed off, hugging her tighter. "I don't know. I just ran here. I didn't even stop to think about what I would say, I just wanted to get here and make sure you didn't get hurt. I'm sorry, I've been acting like a jerk. I shouldn't have stormed off like that, it was childish."

"No, It's alright. I should be the one saying sorry, I did halfheartedly plot your murder after all."

"And I forgave you the minute you told me. I was just surprised that you said that you.. Well, never mind."

"That I said what?"

He smiled, "I love you, too." He leaned forward then, and kissed her. Instead of freezing up like she did last time, she kissed him back just as passionately. They stood like that for the next few minutes, completely oblivious to the world around them. Only when they heard a loud thump beside them, did they break apart to look. Sheik stood a few feet away from them, eyes ablaze.

"Oh, hi." Link said, startled.

"Am I interrupting something?" Sheik said, a little to harshly.

"Yeah, kinda.." he replied bluntly. The angry looked that flashed over Sheik's face made Samantha smile and choke back laughter. She turned her face away, burying it into the side of Links neck as she tried to stop.

"In case you didn't notice, those two evil witches are still roaming freely about the Spirit Temple while you two stand there necking." Sheik said, voice rising slightly in anger.

At the mention of her grandmothers, Samantha turned to glare at the Sheikah. Link just laughed, "Necking? I didn't know anybody used that expression anymore."

"_It doesn't matter._ What matters is that you are so preoccupied with _her_ that you forgot to do _your job_!" Sheik fumed, hands balling up into fists.

"I see your point, but trust me, she just solved my entire problem with the Spirit Temple."

"How so?"

Samantha smiled at Sheik, "I just went to talk to my grandmothers – Y'know. The 'witches' you so boldly mentioned earlier – and it was just a simple misunderstanding."

Sheik blanked. "Those evil creatures are you _grandmothers_?"

"Yes." Samantha growled, annoyed. "And I would greatly appreciate it if you would _stop calling them evil witches._"

"I should have known that you were related to those two. You just _radiate_ evil."

"Hey, watch yourself." Link said angrily, confused as to why Sheik was being so cruel.

Sheik's red eyes moved over to him. "Come along, Hero. If we hurry, we can make it to the Temple of Time by sunrise."

"Why would I go to the Temple of Time?"

"Because, _I said so._"

"Whoa." Samantha said with a laugh. "Well that's certainly an attractive quality."

"_ENOUGH!_" Sheik screamed. Link and Samantha ceased their laughing, and looked over at Sheiks trembling figure. With a swift motion, Sheik removed the wrapping covering a small triangular patter on the back of a smooth and feminine hand. The triangle lit up and surrounded Sheik in a ball of light. Samantha took a step back, taking Link with her, afraid. The light faded and Sheik no longer stood in front of them. Instead there stood a slender blond girl, with light blue eyes and an expensive looking dress. She wore a form of tiara on her blond head, and it sparkled slightly in the moonlight. Her silk gloved hands balled up into fists and she glared at Samantha like she would like nothing better than to kill her right at that moment. Samantha heard Link gasp quietly beside her, and she knew why. Although she had never personally met or seen her before, Princess Zelda was immediately recognizable within her pink and gold glory.

"I am so screwed." Samantha muttered.


	11. Chapter 11

"That.. Oh! I mean you, not that. You were the last thing I expected.." Samantha stuttered, staring at the glaring monarch figure. Princess Zelda still had her hands clenched at her sides, and was leaning forward slightly as if preparing to run. The momentary surprise of seeing the Princess had passed through Samantha, and now she was trying to think of a way not to get royally executed.

"That's absolutely adorable. I've shocked the poor, dirty, lowlife Gerudo girl." Zelda sneered, obviously still extremely angry.

Samantha grimaced, "Lowlife? Sorry, I didn't know anyone who isn't a stupid, pedicured, Princess bit – " Link slammed a hand over her mouth.

"Do not say that last word."

She yanked it away, "She called me a lowlife! I am defending my honor!"

"Defend it _without_ swearing at the person who looks like they want to kill you." he hissed into her ear. Samantha frowned and remained silent, knowing he was right.

Taking on his usual tone, he turned his attention to the Princess.

"Zelda, why were you dressed up as Sheik? I thought you were off somewhere else safe, instead you're running around right where all the danger is? What if Ganondorf had caught you, or mindlessly killed Sheik without knowing it was you?"

Zelda's posture relaxed slightly, "I guess I didn't think about that. I though I could be of help..."

"You did help, we probably wouldn't have gotten this far without Sheik's advise."

With the grace of a royal upbringing, Zelda smiled brilliantly and laced her fingers together behind her back, "You mean it?"

"Of course!" Link said, returning the smile. Samantha couldn't help but notice the genial way in which they talked to each other.

"Oh, that's good! I was worried I had caused you trouble.." she theatrically lifted her hands above her heart, making Samantha inwardly laugh at the gesture.

Link replied back in the same easy tone as if they had known each other their entire lives, but Samantha had zoned out and was currently attempting to find an escape route. She knew the desert better then either of them, and figured that her chances were pretty high. She had been absent from the conversation for a few minutes, until Link annoyingly snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Samantha?"

"Whuut?" she replied, looking up.

"Nothing." he said, putting an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "You just had a really absent expression. What was going through your head?"

"That.." she started, then caught Zelda's cold stare. "I have to go." She stepped quickly away towards the stairs, thinking she was home free, until Link grabbed her around the waist and spun her to face him.

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly. He had his back to Zelda, hiding the hurt look on his face.

Samantha instantly felt bad, "Just back to the fortress. I'm.. tired. It's getting late."

He looked up at the moon hanging high above them, as if realizing for the first time it was there.

"Oh, it is. Maybe we should head back..."

"No!" Zelda said, stepping forward. "We aren't finished here."

Link looked slowly from Zelda to Samantha, thinking. Samantha frowned, wanting to go home and sleep, now that the thought had entered her mind. Zelda stood glaring relentlessly at her with her arms crossed.

"I'd rather go home." Samantha said, wanting to make the other girl angry.

Zelda sneered at her, "You don't always get what you want."

"No, but apparently you do..." she muttered quietly to herself, and was rewarded by Link raising an eyebrow.

"I think we should take Samantha home, then we can continue our conversation." Link said finally.

"I don't want to walk her home!" Zelda protested.

Samantha sighed deeply, and looked up at Link's stressed face. "I can walk home on my own, you guys can stay and discuss... politics." He frowned at the thought, but nodded.

"Alright." he said, leaning in to give her a kiss before she left. Despite Zelda's burning gaze, she let him. He hugged her tight and whispered, "Try not get yourself killed."

Smiling, she kissed the side of his neck, still very aware of Zelda's presence, "Maybe."

Releasing him, she turned away and began to walk home, not glancing back once. The soft feeling of sand beneath her feet was oddly comforting, and by the time she stepped into her bedroom, she was ready to fall over asleep. Lying alone in the dark, her thoughts traveled over to Link and Zelda, still at the Spirit Temple.

Like a coiled snake, jealousy reared up inside of her. Despite the fact that Link had said he loved her, she couldn't help but think that Zelda out shined her in every way that mattered. She was rich, beautiful, and above that, a princess. Every story that her father had read to her as a bedtime story had brave knights rescuing the pretty princess, and they went of and got married, living happily ever after. Never did the hero end up with the little sidekick.

Angrily, she rolled onto her side and stared out of her window lost in thought. Bunching up the orange blanket around her, she closed her eyes and demanded sleep to come. Just as she was about to drift off, somebody knocked loudly on her little wooden door. Ignoring it, she pulled the blanket over her head, covering her ears. The mystery knocker rapped again, making her pick up her pillow and cover her exposed ear.

"Knock one more time, and I will hurt you!" she yelled at them. Just when she thought they left, the sound of her trap door opening filled the small stone room. Annoyed, she threw the pillow in their general direction, "Go. Away. I am trying to sleep."

She heard a familiar laugh, and was about to turn around and look when they jumped heavily onto her bed and she bounced onto the floor. Landing on her shoulder painfully, she rolled onto her back to look up at Link's face.

"Crap, sorry! I didn't mean for you to fall off!"

"Sure you didn't." she said, sitting up. Looking about, she realized they were the only two people in the room. "Where did you dispose of Zelda?"

"She's waiting outside. I though it would be best if I came in alone."

"You thought right." standing up, she patted him on the head. "Good boy."

Laughing, he moved over and lazed down on the bed, folding his hands beneath his head.

"You seem unhappy." he stated, making himself comfortable as she went over to retrieve her thrown pillow.

Frowning, she looked down at him. "I do?"

"Yes," Link smiled. "You do."

"Thanks?" she said, sitting down on a high backed wooden chair next to her window. Tucking her legs up underneath her, she tossed the pillow at him. He caught it effortlessly, and hugged it.

"You shouldn't be so mean to your pillow."

"My pillow is a man. He can take it."

"Your pillow is a man?" he said, tossing it back with an amused look.

"Yes, you just hugged my pillow, named Greg."

"You made that up."

"Okay, fine, I did."

Sighing, he sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. He leaned his elbows an his knees and looked at her. She looked back at him through lidded eyes, the lack of sleep kicking in.

"I know you don't like Zelda... At all..." he started, but she cut him off.

"Can I sleep now?"

"No." Link said walking over to her. He sat on the floor next to her chair, once again picking up the beaten orange pillow and hugging it.

"I drool on that, you know." she said, wanting to not continue what he was saying before. He was right, she did not like Zelda. Therefore, she did not want to be talking about Zelda. And the fact that Link kept bringing Zelda up was making her want to smack him with the pillow again. She didn't want to be angry with him, but it was hard when he was about to defend someone who wants her dead.

"Oh, I know you drool in your sleep. When you fell in the Fire Temple, you drooled on my shoulder."

Self consciously, she covered her mouth. "Sorry."

He laughed it off, "Don't worry, I thought it was cute. Most girls I know try to hide their unattractive traits, where as you swear and drool to your hearts content."

"Was that a compliment, or an insult? I honestly could not tell."

He just smiled.

Samantha looked over at her small wooden trap door. "You might want to be heading back, Princess Zelda might get angry."

"And you care if she gets angry?"

"Yes," she said, looking back. "If she's angry, my head has a good chance of being cut off."

"I wouldn't let that happen." he said, putting the pillow aside. Leaning towards her, he took one of her hands in both of his. "I know you deeply hate Zelda. I don't know why, but whatever it is, could you put it aside, just for a little while?" He looked pleadingly up at her, his blue eyes meeting her green ones. "I really need your help. I can't do it without you, and I probably wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for you. So, just try to ignore Zelda until we get everything sorted out. Please. For me?"

Sighing, she stood up. "Alright. Fine. But if she starts something with me, I swear all hell will rain lose. I've never been known for _not_ having a temper."

Standing up also, Link grabbed her and hugged her tightly, "And that's why I love _you_, and not Zelda." Smiling, he kissed her on the cheek.

"Let's go, before she gets any ideas to burn down my home instead of knocking."

"She wouldn't do that.." he started, but trailed off.

Laughing, she took his hand and dragged him outside. Zelda stood with her arms crossed and a stony expression off by the ladder leading down to the ground. When she saw them, she made a disapproving glare at their grasped hands, and smoothed down her dress.

"About time." she grumbled as they drew close.

"Sorry." Link said, gesturing towards the ladder. "Ladies first."

Briskly, Zelda climbed down the ladder, followed by Samantha and finally Link. They walked the length of the Gerudo territory in silence, and only when they came upon Hyrule Field did Samantha say anything.

"So.. What are we doing, exactly?"

Zelda made a scoffing noise, and turned to her, "Didn't Link tell you?" she looked over at him, "You were in there long enough, I though you were explaining it."

"Never came up." he said, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Zelda glared at them each in turn. "What were you even doing? Killing our precious time?"

Annoyed, Samantha smiled brightly at Zelda, "No. We were making babies."

The reaction was instant. Zelda stopped dead in her tracks and shrieked "_WHAT?_" into Links surprised face. Link just stood there frozen, a blush slowly creeping onto his face. Samantha dropped his hand and hugged her sides, doubling over in hysterical laughter.

"Oh god, your _face_!" She managed to get out before Zelda swooped down on her in a fiery rage.

"Why in the goddesses names do you continue to anger me?" she hissed into Samantha's ear. Stopping her laughter, she turned to meet the princess's cold blue glare. "You're just a Gerudo. _Nothing_ to this land. Me, on the other hand, am the Princess of this land you think is such a big joke. You prance around like your a big hero, when its your own father who is torturing and murdering these innocent people. You you take _pride_ in what he is doing? Are you _proud_ of him?" Samantha stood up shocked and angry, as Zelda continued, to quietly for Link to hear. "I wish you would just go join him, because you're doing _nothing_ but case me more problems. And, despite being so sweet an innocent and adorable, you're making Link's life just that much harder. We would _all _be better off if you just went away and _didn't come back_. You're nothing but trouble, and I'm not going to stand around while you walk allover Link. Do you really think he would just simply settle for you? He's just using you and your power until this is all over." Breathing heavy, she stood tall and menacing. "Do you really want to start a war with one of the Hyrule's royals? Because if you do, _I will crush you_ and we will all be better off."

Stunned silence flowed over Samantha as she looked into Zelda's face. Link had regained himself and had come over to them, completely oblivious to what had happened. For once, Samantha had no sharp comeback or rude joke. The princess stood silently staring at her, waiting for her to say something. Link's face was falling into a frown when he saw the look on Samantha's stunned face, and Zelda's expressionless one.

With cold politeness, Samantha took a deep breath. "Sorry for bothering you then, Your Highness." And with those last words, she walked off. Walking away was the hardest part. She wanted to turn around and use every foul word she knew on Princess Zelda just to see how she would hold herself after a good old fashioned slandering. But yet she didn't and waled away with dignity.

Link's voice could be heard yelling behind her, but she didn't pick out the individual words. She just kept on walking, determined to not break down and cry, or run, or scream, or all three mixed together in a horrible show.

Her mind was running a mile a minute, and her feet carried her along without thought. She didn't realize where she was until the temperature skyrocketed around her as she stood at the edge of a giant pit of lava. It bubbled and hissed below her menacingly. A fiery guardian to the black castle floating above it. Moving swiftly over the crumbling black tone bridge, she walked into the interior.

A thick red carpet greeted her and she followed it up a spiraling black staircase. Haunting music could be heard at the top of the stairs, where her father kept his ancient, grand, and golden organ – one of his most prized possessions. The door to the main chamber where the organ rested was blocked off by a giant door. The music was deafening loud by then, and a coil of fear was twisting around her chest, making breathing a challenge. The door flew open at her touch, and she walked into the room.

Her father sat with his back to her, a giant even when sitting. A deep red cloak was draped over his shoulders, and trailed lightly on the floor behind him. Samantha was thinking of what to say when the music cut off suddenly, and the room was thrown into a crushing and unsettling silence.

Ganondorf stood up gracefully, despite his height and build, and turned to face his small and trembling daughter. His footsteps were thunderously loud in the silent room as he walked over to her, expressionless. Bracing herself for the worst of his wrath, Samantha made herself stand tall and look him in the face. Her father had always hated cowardice.

The dark king reached for his daughter, and drew her into a tight hug with a booming laugh.

"You have gone above and beyond!" Ganondorf said, putting her back down on her feet.

"I... I have?" She stammered out, completely confused.

"Yes!" he roared, smiling down at her proudly. "Because of you, Princess Zelda and the Hero of Time are practically _running_ into my hands under the false pretense of saving you! I had lost all hope of finding her, and now my own daughter is delivering them _both_ to me!" He let out a deep chorus of laughter, and looked back down at her, still full of pride and triumph. "I've never been more proud of you, my daughter."


	12. Chapter 12

"You look like you just killed a puppy, stop thinking about it and making that terrible face."

Samantha sat up and glared at her friend. He smiled back.

"Oh, quiet you tool." She said, flopping back down onto the thick red carpet covering the grand staircase in the castle. Her friend scooted over and looked down at her, grinning amused. His presence wasn't helping Samantha much, due to the terrible and constant reminder of Link. The Hero of Time's shadow sat next to her, unconcerned about his heroic twin. Decked out in black and gray, he blended into the charcoal colored wall behind him. Only his pale skin and bright red fiery eyes made him stand out and make you take a second glance. He had been one of her best friends since she could walk.

"Tool?" he said, feigning hurt. "I will have you know, I am not a tool! Well, maybe a hammer... They're painful, you know. And as for being quiet, never. I know not the meaning of that word."

"I will kill you, Dark." she said, jokingly, as a smile crept on her face. He was the one person she could threaten and slander, and take it in good humor. The same was said for him towards her.

Dark smiled, and held his arms out wide. "Bring it, you midget."

She punched him in the shoulder, and he made a surprised noise. "_Not_ a midget."

"You punch like one..."

Raising an eyebrow, she held up a balled fist. "Want me to punch my hardest?"

"Oh, god no. You'd kill me."

"Damn straight." she said laughing, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her black skirt. Dark followed suit, and stood up, stretching. They wandered in silence to the top chamber, where her father's organ sat quietly. Ganondorf had went out to visit the Gerudo's, leaving Samantha and Dark behind to keep a watch out.

Skipping across the room to the organ, Samantha slammed down an open palm and the instrument shuddered awake with a thunderous chorus.

"Beautiful." Dark said sarcastically, coming over.

"Oh yeah, I'm a master." she said siding her hand quickly across the keys. It boomed out again, the notes lingering in the air around them. Dark covered his ears, and gave her an amused look. Smiling, Samantha sat down in the bench, facing away from the organ.

"Do you think they will come today?" she asked.

Dark pondered the question, and sat down beside her. "No. Yes. I dunno, its raining so it would be the perfect time to sneak in, but what with the princess to stuck up to get her hair wet, probably huddled up somewhere till it subsides. So, in other words, maybe."

"Wow. You are so smart." she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! It was a legitimate answer!"

"It still sucked."

"Yeah, your right.."  
>"When am I not?<p>

Laughing, Dark stood up and walked soundlessly over to the great arched windows. He peered down into the foggy haze below. The cold rain hitting the lava was making steam rise up ominously around the castle, making visibility bad. They had been waiting for about two days for Link and Princess Zelda to come storming in, but they had remained elusive, and nothing exciting had happened besides Dark tripping and screaming profanities as he fell down the stairs on her first day back.

Sighing deeply, Samantha walked over to look out the window as well. The steamy fog was lit with a eerie orange-red glow from the lava below, and it was a beautiful sight, despite the fact that one misplaced step in it could mean your death.

"Wanna go outside?" she asked, looking over at him.

"In the rain?"

"What?" she smirked. "Afraid of getting your hair wet?"

"Let's roll." he said, taking off. They took the stairs two at a time, eager to go outside. Slowly crossing the bridge, out of fear of falling, they heard the sound of thunder off in the distance.

"I love thunder!" Samantha cheered. Dark agreed.

"I wonder how far off it is..." he said, peering off towards Hyrule Field.

Samantha wandered forwards, the rain adding pounds to her long hair. Dark followed behind her, singing about rain. Smiling to herself, she walked out into the market. The ReDeads stood exactly where they always did, oblivious to the rain. Dark stayed closer to her as they walked past them.

Hyrule Field rose up in front of them, soaking and dark. Black clouds covered the entire land, making day look like night. Laughing happily, Samantha ran full tilt, and jumped into the nearest puddle, making the water splash up.

Dark looked at it, "My boots will get wet."

"Suck it up!" she said. Reaching out, she grabbed the strap holding his sword to his back, and dragged him into the muddy water. It rose up to their knees at the deepest point, with swirling bits of grass and other plants clinging to their wet clothes.

"My feet feel squishy." Dark said, kicking up water at her.

She retaliated, and kicked madly back. He moved to block it, and slipped on the mud below the water. Falling backwards into the dirty water, he swore, and resurfaced, spitting out filth. Knowing he would drag her down also, Samantha ran off towards the castle, laughing loudly at him.

Kicking up water in his path, Dark gave chase, still spitting water.

Enjoying herself for the first time in days, Samantha spun around in the drawbridge opening to the market, and made a 'bring it on' gesture. Dark was closer than she thought, and he slammed into her. They both fell, hitting the stones hard, laughing.

"It's on, Red." he said, breathing heavily.

She stood up slowly, then made a mad dish towards the castle. She could hear him shout in protest behind her as he scrambled to his feet. Smiling, she blew a kiss at one of the ReDeads in the market, who looked back at her blankly.

"Samantha's got a boyfriend!" Dark laughed breathlessly behind her. "To bad he's a zombie minion who wants to bite her!"

"At least people love me!" she shouted back, clearing the market. She shot across the bridge, and stumbled inside of the castle. Leaning on the wall to catch her breath, she saw Dark jog across the bridge.

"People love me. I mean, c'mon." He made a pose. "I'm sexy."

"Yeah, whatever you have to tell yourself at night..." she grinned, turning around.

Sitting down heavily on the stone steps, they were back at the place they started, except soaking wet and out of breath.

"I tell myself many things at night."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

He just smiled, and leaned back on his elbows. "Now what?"

"Not a clue."

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Dark reached up and scratched the back of his head. "I'm guessing now wouldn't be the best time to tell you that while we were out, I saw Link and Zelda huddled up under the entrance to the Temple of Time."

"_WHAT?_" She yelled, standing up abruptly. "You just decided to tell me this NOW?"

Dark flinched back against the wall, "Sorry... I didn't think.."

Samantha looked down at him angrily. Sighing deeply, she crossed her arms in front of her and looked down at the floor ruefully. "I'm sorry Dark. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's alright. I know you haven't been having the greatest time ever back with your dad. What with him plotting to kill the guy you love and all." he said standing up.

"You make me sound like a girl." Samantha grumbled.

"News flash, doorknob." Dark poked her in the side. "You _are_ a girl."

"You make me sound like a girl girl." she amended, relaxing her posture.

"Suck it up." he laughed. "What are you gonna do?" he asked, suddenly serious.

She looked up at him. "I don't know.."

"Well," he said quietly. Throwing an arm around her shoulder, he gave her a sideways hug. "Don't do anything drastic. You have never been the most... rational thinker when you're stressed out like this."

"Is that your nice way of saying I do stupid things for good reasons?"

"Yes." he smiled. "It is. Wanna go do something?"

"Thanks, Dark. But, I think I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll find you later."

"Alright." he said, releasing her.

She smiled goodbye, and walked off down the stairs. Through the stained glass windows she could see that the rain had subsided, and the sun was attempting to break through the cloud barrier. Mindlessly, she walked outside. The steam was dispersing, and she could see more clearly. The lava bubbled and hissed below her feet, making the surrounding area pleasantly warm. But despite the heat, Samantha felt a cold hand run down her spine as she looked at the rooftop of the Temple of Time.

Filled with a sudden purpose, she stepped boldly forwards, making her way to the temple.

The market place was slightly flooded from the rain, and each step made a satisfying splashing noise, and her skirt trailing in the water left a wavy path behind her. The ReDeads stood quiet as ever, water droplets dripping off of their immobile frames. Taking the steps to the temple quickly, she sloshed through the damp grass towards the entrance. She nearly broke into a run when she saw one of the doors stood ajar, inviting her in.

Samantha jumped suddenly when she heard a crack of thunder behind her, her hand half stretched out, ready to push the door open and storm inside. Her heart pounded inside her chest as she lowered her arm, her previous fire evading her. She took a step backwards slowly, afraid the door would swing open and Zelda and Link would come out to find her there. When she was a good distance away, she spun around and slammed into a figure behind her. Familiar arms wrapped around her reflectively, catching her in her retreat.

"What are you doing?" Dark hissed into her ear. "I saw you from the castle, you know you shouldn't be here, of all places!"

"I know, I know.. I just.." she stammered, looking for the right words.

"You just what? Nothing good will come from them seeing you, now c'mon, lets go back to the castle. What if you had gotten hurt? What did I say about you not being a rational thinker?"

"I know Dark, I'm sorry." She hugged him tightly, her throat constricting with the promise of tears. "Lets go back. I can't remember why I came here, so why bother staying. I'm just... scared and worried, I guess. I just want to go home, now.."

Dark sighed deeply and hugged her tightly back. They had been thick as thieves since a young age, and there wasn't any other person she could hug, talk to, or just be with this easily other than Dark. Him standing there was making her think more rationally, and she buried her face into his shoulder, blocking out her view of the dark castle in the distance.

"It'll be fine. I promise..." he sighed deeply. "You know I'll always be here for you... I –"

His next words were cut off when a high pitched laugh flew out from within the Temple of Time. Samantha went rigid with surprise and fear, and Dark grumbled something, hugging her tighter.

"Quiet. Try not to move. Maybe they won't look outside."

"Oh god, Dark. Does she exist to make my life a living hell? Even her laugh is ungodly."

Dark shushed her, and she could almost hear the little gears whirring in his head. The laugh grew louder, and the creak of the ancient temple door filled the air, followed by footsteps.

"Shit." Samantha swore quietly, as the footsteps halted.

"Try not to talk, okay?" Dark whispered into her ear before releasing her. She stepped to his side, looking down at her feet, afraid to look up and meet Link's eyes.

"Nice weather we're having, hey?" Dark said loudly, directed at Link and Zelda, who also stood side by side, on the top step looking down at them.

"You.. You look exactly like..." Zelda stammered, looking at Dark and then at Link.

"Yes. Staggering, isn't it?" Dark smiled.

Samantha looked hesitantly up, first looking at Zelda. She stood back straight, no hunched forward shyly like Samantha was. Zelda was dressed the same as the last time they meet, and her hair was dry as a bone. She glared down in her direction, as if sensing Samantha's gaze.

"Not staggering on you at all." Zelda snapped back at Dark, placing a possessive hand on Link's shoulder. "We should go. Leave them. What did I say about her?" she whispered to him.

Blushing deeply, Samantha looked away, off towards a Sheikah Stone quietly watching them. It seemed to be smiling at her, making her feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

When Link didn't reply right away, Samantha cast her gaze reluctantly to him. He was staring right at her, a small frown forming at the corners of his mouth. The same feeling of self-consciousness swept over her, and she was suddenly acutely aware of how close Dark was standing next to her. Leaning away from him, she gave Link a hesitant smile.

"I don't see why we should leave." Link said suddenly. Samantha's smile vanished at the emotionless tone in his voice. Zelda turned back to Dark, and gave him one of her famous glares.

"Then you two should leave. This temple is made for those pure of heart, not.." she sneered, holding back a laugh. "those who's hearts are as black as the clothes they wear and the clouds they stand under."

Samantha pulled her gaze away from Link's long enough to give Zelda an angry look. "You say you're so 'pure of heart' and such a nice little pretty princess, but you know what?"

"What?" Zelda smiled back, taking pride in her anger.

"You can be a real bitch."

With that, she stormed off. After a moments hesitation, Dark followed her. She didn't pause until she was save inside her bedroom in the castle.

The entire room and its contents were crafted with dark brown wood, and draped with red colored blankets, pillows, and carpets. It's two high arched windows looked out upon the Temple of Time, and the lava pit below. Fuming, Samantha stalked inside and threw herself down onto the antique red velvet couch, throwing her feet over the armrest and crossing her arms tightly.

Dark sauntered in after a moments hesitation, and sat on the small wooden coffee table in front of the couch. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands folded in front of him, a grin on his face.

"Wow, you really socked it to her." he said.

Samantha glanced over at him, "I called her a bitch. Since when has that been 'socking it to' anyone?"

"Well.. due to the fact that she is an princess and every little girl in the kingdom of Hyrule idolizes her, loves her, wants to be like her, and god knows what else, she has probably _never_ had anyone talk to her like that. Her face, goddammit, the look she gave me when you left me standing there. _Priceless_."

Despite her anger, Samantha couldn't help but smile at that. "Did she look angry?"

"Oh, yes. Absolutely pissed."

"Good." she grinned, sitting up. Pulling one of the decorative pillows onto her lap, she sat facing Dark. "I only wish I could have seen it."

"Say it again, except this time stay around for the show." he laughed, sitting up straight.

"I suspect I will be having a few more words with our lovely princess before this is all over."

"Can I watch?"

"Dark!" Samantha laughed, whacking him with the pillow.

"What? Not like there's a cucco fight in the neighborhood."

"Cucco fight? You're not a gambler!"

"I know, it was just an expression of things that are more exciting than nothing." He smirked, giving her back the pillow he had seized. She kicked him lightly in the shin.

"No joking about fights."

He put his hands up in defeat.

Relaxing back into the couch, she closed her eyes and thought back. Her judgment was clouded, but she thought the look Link gave her was a hurt one. Not the kind of hurt that comes from being betrayed, but the kind if hurt that comes from being betrayed by someone you love. The only reason that he would have given her a look like that would be because of her hugging Dark.

Dark was her best friend, but she couldn't go explain that to Link. When she was with him, she was happy. Her head had been like the storm previously raging outside, and Dark was usually the one who cleared it away. He was the one who stopped her from making a big fool of herself at the Temple of Time just minutes ago. How could she explain to Link that they weren't in love, but she loved him just the same. It seemed like a mean thing to say, after everything that has happened. She didn't mind hugging him, or telling him her secrets. And he was always with her. They could talk about anything, and he was always there for her.

"Dark.." she said suddenly, remembering.

"Yeah?"

"When we were at the Temple of Time, you said.. You said you would always be there for me..." she said, thinking deeply.

"Yes, I did say that. And I meant it."

"But you got cut off... You started to say something else. 'I' you said… 'I' what?"

She looked up at him, and was startled to see him blushing as red as his eyes. Biting at his lower lip, he looked up to meet her gaze. "Ahh, nothing important. Heat of the moment thing."

"I want to know."

"Honestly, its not important." he smiled over at her. "What's important is that you're soaking that couch with your wet clothing."

"Dark." she said, grasping both of his hands between hers. "Tell me."

"You don't want to hear it."

"Yes, I do."

"No, really..."

"Dark." she said, siting on the very edge of the couch, directly in front of him.

"Alright alright." he sighed deeply. "You're good at getting what you want, you know that, right?"

"Not always. When I was thirteen I wanted to live in Zora's Domain, but my dad flipped out and said no. But stop throwing gambits, what were you going to say?"

"Fine. I was going to say.. I love you, alright?"

Samantha smiled, "Idiot, I love you, too. You have said it before, what's the big deal?"

"You don't get it, but its okay, I know why."

"What do you mean?"

"I love you. _Love_. I have since we were little, and we used to go play chess out by the lake and you would always purposefully let me win because you knew I wasn't as good as you and you didn't like it when I was sad cause I lost. You love Link, so I don't blame you for not knowing, or loving me back... At least now you know." He looked up, his red eyes steady on hers. "I just want you to know, I wouldn't ever hurt you, or betray you, or run off with some princess. It makes me just plain _angry_ seeing him make you cry. Seeing him hurt you like that. I wouldn't ever... I love you too much." He sighed deeply, and leaned forward so his face was mere inches from hers. "Tell me, you honestly never knew?"

"No, I.. I didn't.. I just thought you meant it as my best friend. Like me and Naloa, I love her too, I thought you meant it like that..." she looked back at him.

"I love you. Honestly." he smiled and kissed her on the cheek, lingering there. "Please don't be angry at me.."

"Why in hell would I be angry at you?" she asked.

"Well, If Link ever finds out, he'd probably beat me senseless."

"What makes you say that?"

Dark sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, "I've seen the way he looks at you, but don't worry... I won't make you pretend like you love me just to make me feel better. I know you love him, I'm not gonna be a home wrecker."

"Dark.. I think that ship has sailed. He had Zelda, and he's fighting against evil. I'm not particularly good, so that means he has to get rid of me... Just like he has to get rid of dad." she smiled, and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you, too."

Dark hugged her back, "I know this probably isn't the greatest time... but your hair smells like dirty rain water..."

Samantha sat up, and jabbed him in the stomach. "You don't smell to pretty, either!"

"Oh, I smell like rainbows."

"Dark... Don't ever change."

"I won't. Promise."

"Good." she said, and leaned forward. She kissed him lightly on the lips, then stood up and walked out of the room without a word, leaving him sitting there in stunned silence. Her head was filled with thoughts of the two twin boys that she loved, wondering which she could survive living without if it ever came to it.

She prayed it never would, as the thunderstorm started up again in the distance.


	13. Chapter 13

"And so, that's why I think cats are better than dogs." Naloa finished, smiling. She sat with her legs dangling in front of her on the red couch, holding an apple core. Samantha lay spread eagle on the floor, staring up at the high ceiling of her bedroom. Dark sat upside down on a nearby chair, staring at Naloa in pure boredom.

"Seriously?" he asked her, black hair and hat falling towards the floor.

Naloa looked down at him, "Yes, is there a problem?"

"No ma'am." he grumbled, flipping his feet over his head and rolling onto the floor, facing the chair in a sitting position. Naloa had come with Ganondorf from the fortress, brought back for Samantha to have someone to talk to. Her dad meant it as a gift – or reward in his eyes – but Samantha really didn't want to listen to Naloa's mindless chatting. Dark hadn't said a word to her since last night when she had kissed him, and it was making her scared that she had hurt him in some way.

They sat in her bedroom as the midday sun rose high above the castle, a welcome sight compared to yesterdays storm. Ganondorf was upstairs playing the organ, the sound vibrating loudly through the castle walls.

"Can you play the piano?" Naloa asked Samantha, looking down at her from her spot on the antique couch.

"It's an organ, and yes. But not as good as my dad." she replied, eyes not moving from the ceiling.

"She usually ends up smacking the keys randomly partway through a song." Dark added, turning around to face them. "Very beautiful." he added as an after thought, looking over at Samantha who didn't notice, but continued her staring.

"Maybe one day she'll get through a whole song." Naloa giggled, and stood up. "But I smell like desert, eurgh. Sam-Sam, can I use your bathroom to clean myself? I swear I won't use up all your soap, like last time."

Leaning on her elbows, she looked over accusingly at Naloa, "You better not, and sure." she pointed to a nearby door, "Right there. Have fun."

"Thanks!" she said cheerily, skipping off. As soon as the sound of the door slamming shut faded away, Samantha looked over at Dark. He was looking right back at her, red eyes unreadable.

"So..." she started, unsure.

"Casual conversation so soon?" he replied, his usual easy grin plastered on his face.

Samantha bit her lip, "What else is there?"

"Well.. Casual talk, funny talk, angry talk, romantic talk, etc. Pick one."

"Not many choices.." she said, hugging her knees.

"Well then I will pick a topic conversation..." he leaned back against the chair, looking at her thoughtfully. Finally, he smiled and asked, "Want to talk about last night?"

"Nah, lets talk about something exciting." she said lamely.

"Exciting?" he asked, grin fading. "I didn't think last night was _that_ boring. Well, the beginning, maybe."

"Dark, look." Samantha started, getting up and sitting down on the couch. She picked up one of the red decorative pillows and played nervously with the fringe. "I didn't mean to just walk out on you like that. I just... did."

Sighing, he came and sat down next to her, "I know, I know. I just want to know, before Naloa comes back and starts talking about cats and dogs again... Do you still love him?"

"Well..." she thought deeply, wondering herself. "I guess I do... You can't just turn that stuff on and off like a switch, Dark."

"Sometimes it happens..." he said, and she could hear the hoping tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Dark. I shouldn't have kissed you last night, I was just.. startled."

"Don't be sorry. No matter how I feel about you, or how you feel about _him_, you're still my best friend." He reached over and hugged her, and despite the underlying tension she felt, she hugged him right back just like she would have any other day. He held on a moment longer than he normally would have, but he still smiled the same stupid grin as he let go. "Wanna go help your dad play the organ?"

"You mean mash keys in?"

"Yes, exactly what I mean." he said, standing up and pulling her with him. Linking arms, they walked up the tower steps to the top chamber where her father sat.

Ceasing the music, he turned around and smiled at them.

"Hello, Samantha. Dark." he said, inclining his head as he said Dark's name. "What have you two been up to?"

"Not a lot. Just being lazy." Samantha said, walking over and sitting next to her dad. Dark followed, and sat down beside her. She couldn't help but notice he sat closer to her than he normally would have.

"Where did Naloa go?" Ganondorf asked.

"She smelled, so she went to go have a bath." Dark supplied.

"Oh, how considerate of her."

Samantha smiled, and leaned her head on her dads massive shoulder. "How's your plotting coming along?" she asked happily.

"Marvelous. I'm about to go execute it right now." he said.

Samantha felt her stomach tighten. "What are you gonna do?"

"You'll see. After all," her father threw a large arm around her shoulder in a half hug. "You deserve to be right there next to me when I take this lad once and for all."

"Alright." she said, and turned to hug him tightly. "Just be careful, don't do anything too evil, okay?"

"You worry too much. You get it from your mother, she was always soft." Ganondorf said with a grin, and stood up. "I'll be back later. Don't break my organ, I have a feeling I will be needing it later. Dramatic affect, and all."

"Okay. Bye, Dad."

"Good-bye, Lord Ganondorf." Dark said formally to his master. Samantha watched her father walk out of the room, a sense of confidence in his step. Despite him being so massive, strong, and evil, she still worried a lot about him. He was her father, after all.

"Now what?" Dark asked, turning his body to face her.

Samantha looked at him and sighed deeply, "I don't know, any suggestions... Besides playing the organ, I might add."

He laughed, and threw his arm around her like her father had before. "Because you suck?"

"Do not! Well, when I actually bother to play, that is.."

"Your pride never ceases to amuse me, Red."

Samantha crossed her arms and legs stubbornly, "Hater."

"No, not a hater. More like.. Lover."

"Lover?" she asked, turning to face him. He smiled, and leaned his face into her neck.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he said, voice husky.

"Dark..." she started, when he pulled her into his lap.

He laughed, "Never start a sentence with someones name..." He trailed off. Samantha was about to reply, when he pulled her close and started kissing up her neck. Surprised, she froze, wondering what to do. When you lived with females your entire life, she didn't know how to deal with persistent guys. Even as she sat there, she wondered: Did she or did she not love him?

She still didn't have that answer.

Thankfully, she didn't have to figure it out, because Naloa could be heard running up the steps, calling their names. Dark grumbled, and let her slide off his lap just as Naloa came crashing in, her hair a few shades darker because of it being wet.

"Ditchers!" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Could have left a note or something."

"Sorry, Naloa." Dark grumbled. Samantha smiled and looked at her feet, silently happy for once that Naloa was who she was. "We thought you would be smart enough to realize where we went. We're either in Sam's room, hanging on the stairs, in the kitchen, or right here in the organ room. Since the organ isn't playing anymore, you'd think it was kind of obvious."

"How rude." Naloa said, turning her nose up at him.

Samantha laughed, "Oh, c'mon Naloa. You know he's right."

"Doesn't mean he has to be rude about it."

"I agree. Dark," she punched him in the arm, hard. "That's for Naloa."

"Sure..." he muttered, rubbing his arm.

Naloa skipped over, her usual genial tone returning, "What shall we do now?"

Samantha looked up at her, wondering. Dark sat with his arms crossed, obviously fuming. Despite the sunshine, Samantha was in no hurry to go outside, in case they ran into unwanted company. A thought popped into her head.

"Naloa, have I ever taught you how to play chess?"

* * *

><p>Hours flew by as Samantha attempted to explain the rules of chess to her scatterbrained friend. Six times Naloa had picked up the knight and said, "I still don't get why its called a knight, and not a horse." The sun had began to set, casting a comforting orange light into the chamber, where the two girls sat on the floor, divided by a decorative wooden chess board. Dark sat away from them on the organ bench, leaning back against the keys and watching with mild interest, and barely concealed boredom. Exactly what Samantha wanted.<p>

"Its called a knight because knights ride horses, for the last time!" Samantha said, smiling but exasperated. Naloa frowned.

"Whatever you say, Captain."

Dark laughed, "Nothing like playing chess with me, hey? Remember we would always go down to the lake..." Samantha made an irritated S_hh! _sound.

"Now, whats this?" she asked, holding up a chess piece.

"Uh," Naloa stared blankly. "The pawn."

"Good." she smiled, as loud crack filled the room. Startled, Samantha's hand jumped as she was putting the piece down, and the orderly rows of pieces scattered everywhere.

"What in hell?" Dark said loudly, looking up above the organ. Following his gaze, Samantha dropped the pawn in shock as she saw the new addition to the room.

High above them was a pink gem, the light from the sun reflection brightly off its sides. Inside the jewel was Princess Zelda, apparently fast asleep, or knocked out. She bore an expression of peace as she twinkled above them, hands crossed lightly over her chest.

"Is she dead?" Naloa asked quietly, as the doors banged open. Ganondorf strode in, his blood red cape trailing behind him. He gave out a triumphant and booming laugh as he caught a glimpse of Zelda high above them.

"No, she isn't dead." he said to Naloa, who seemed to curl into herself. "Well, yet."

"Dad!" Samantha exclaimed as she stood up. "What in hell did you do?"

He strode over to her, still smiling. "This is my plan. With the Princess here, the Hero of Time will have no choice but to come all the way up here if he wants her back." He let out another booming laugh. "You missed out, Samantha. They were standing in the Temple of Time, and I just walked right in. Did they really think they were safe in there? _Ha! _That was easier than I predicted!"

Dark was standing up now, and he walked quickly over to stand next to her and Naloa.

"Now, he should be coming soon. Unless he doesn't care that much, but I don't think that's the case. Anyways, you two." he said, looking at Naloa and Dark. "You should not be here when he arrives, he has no idea either of you even exist. Go wait in Samantha's chambers, she'll come get you when we rule."

"He knows they exist." Samantha said, looking up at her dad.

He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, "Do not worry. It's for their own safety. I have everything planned out, but sadly, they're not part of that plan. Why don't you walk them to your room, I need to play the organ. Following the haunting music up the stairs is a nice way to make our Hero quiver in his boots. Come back quickly." he said, and left them standing there. He sat down at the organ, hands poised above the keys. "Oh, and could one of you clean up that chess board?" he added, than began to play.

Obediently, Naloa scurried off. Dark stayed behind and helped her pick up the chess pieces. Once they were all obtained, they too left the room in a hurry. They scrambled down the stairs and burst into her room. Naloa was sitting quietly on one of the chairs, and didn't move to look at them as they came in, throwing down their handfuls of wooden figures onto the couch.

"Shit." Samantha said, turning on her heel, heading back up. Her stomach felt like it was being strangled by a large snake. Her thoughts kept traveling to the encased Princess upstairs, unknowingly awaiting her demise.

"Wait!" Dark said, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. "My god, do _not_ do anything stupid. Do you know what your dad would do if he found out about you two?"

"He wouldn't hurt me, Dark."

"No, you're right. He wouldn't hurt _you_." He said, emphasizing the last word. "Imagine what he would do to Link when he found out he's been touching his sweet little daughter?"

She knew he was right – dead right – but she still ripped her arm out of his grasp. "Stay with Naloa, and don't leave until I come back." she said, opening and then slamming the door behind her. Taking the steps two at a time, she was about to bolt through the front foyer, guarded by two Beamos, when one of their heads rolled in front of her. Split second later, it blew up in her face and she ended up throwing herself against the wall to get away from the flying shards of metal.

Angrily she stood up and dusted soot off of her black clothing, and stalked up the stairs. The torches blazed brightly on either side of her, making two separate shadows dance on the walls next to her. They seemed to be dancing along with the flickering flames, which were following the ominous patter of the music flowing distantly, but loudly, down the stairs.

Arriving upon the first landing, the carpet ran straight through a circular room with a stone floor. She was half way across the room when a heavy set of bars slammed down blocking the next flight of stairs. Two large Stalfos jumped into existence on either side of her, swords held at the ready.

"Hey, screw off guys, I'm walking here." she said irritatedly. When they didn't immediately step away, she balled her hands into fists. "I'm not the enemy here, you daft idiots! Open that gate before I take your nasty bony heads and place them on my fireplace as crude decorations! For gods sake, _I live here!_"

"I think they were meant for me." a voice said behind her. She spun around, startled.

Link stood behind her, his sword held loosely in his left hand. With a grin, he walked forwards and expertly disarmed and disposed of the two Stalfos, who had been unsure of what they were to do with Samantha's orders still ringing in their non-existent ears. When he was through, he sheathed his sword and turned to face her as the metal bars blocking their path sprang upwards out of sight.

Standing stark still, Samantha felt like a small animal caught in a trap. Link shifted his eyes over to the next flight of stairs, cast her a quick half smile, and walked off without a word.

Surprised by his actions, Samantha sprang forwards. "_Wait!_"

He paused with his back to her, his foot on the first step. Turning his torso to look back, he gave her a somber look. She noticed that underneath his eyes he had deep purple bags, as if he hadn't slept in days. "What?"

"Don't go up there."

He turned around fully to face her, "Why?"

She paused. Thinking of a reason for him to not go up there was easy: She didn't want him to get hurt, or worse, killed. Sadly, that would only probably make him want to go up more than he already did. Sighing, she took a few hesitant steps forward. "He knows your coming."

"Is that a threat?" he said, an angry tone creeping into his voice.

"No! It's a fact!"

"Good, I'm glad he knows I'm coming." he growled, turning around and walking up the stairs determined to face the foe waiting at their top. Her heart racing annoyingly in her chest, Samantha ran after him, gathering her skirt up around her so she wouldn't trip. He had picked up his pace in agitation, and she took a moment to catch up to him.

"Wait up!" she said, slightly breathless. He didn't pause. When they came upon the second landing, she didn't wait for the bars to spring down and lock them in. With an angry gesture, she swept her had in front of her horizontally, and a wall of fire sprang up, dividing the room and blocking the path. Link jumped back in surprise and nearly banged into her.

"Are you doing this?" he said angry, pointing to the towering, crackling flames.

She nodded, as the Stalfos on the other side confusedly stared at the wall of flames.

"Why?" Link asked, stepping closer so he could use his height to his advantage and look down at her.

"You wouldn't stop."

Exasperated, he threw his arms up, "No, really? I'm trying to save Hyrule here, sorry for being to busy to hear about your new boyfriend!"

Samantha was taken back, "What? That's not what I wanted to say!"

"Well too bad I'm not in the mood to talk," he frowned. "now move those flames."

"No."

He reared up as if preparing to yell, but stopped halfway and ran his hand quickly and irritatedly through his hair. "Why?" he asked again, and she could hear the forced calm in his voice.

"You'll get hurt."

"So? I have gotten hurt in the past."

"I know that, but..." she looked into the fire, trailing off.

"But what?" he asked, the forced calm still in his voice. Samantha closed her eyes, and ran the heel of her hands into them, trying to clear her thoughts. The sweet but ominous music was still trailing down the stairs, filling the room. Unknowingly, she let go of the flames, and the wall slipped away with a little sizzling noise.

She threw her eyes open just as Link turned away and made for the Stalfos. Thinking ahead, she bound over to the stairs and stood, waiting. When the Stalfos' bones lay scattered, Link sheathed his sword and walked over to the stairs, only to find his way up blocked by her.

"Nice try." he said, moving to step around her. She stepped in his way, looking down at him from her position on a higher step. He gave an exasperated laugh, and shook his head. "You really are determined for me not to go up there, aren't you?"

She nodded, "Go back while you still can. I can open the gates for you..."

"No." he said. "I have to go up there and save Zelda... Wait, is that why you don't want me to go up there? Because you don't like _Zelda_?"

"No, I don't want you to go up there because I don't want you getting hurt, you stupid idiot!" she yelled in his face.

He frowned and paled in color. "Well there's nothing you can do." he said, stepping quickly around her and up the stairs, his footsteps barely audible on the red carpet over the sound of the music.

"Dammit, yes there it." she muttered to herself. With a quick motion, she raised her right foot and stomped down, hard. All the steps above the one she was standing on turned into an icy ramp, and Link went flying. He slid down the remainder of the frozen steps on his back, his arm covering his face for protection, and hit the ground hard.

Swearing, he stood up and glared at her. "What was that for?"

"You wouldn't stop." she repeated. Angrily, he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

His face was inches from hers when he said, "Why won't you let me through? And don't say because you don't want me getting hurt. There is another reason."

"Because I don't want my dad to hurt you, because you're important to me and he will hurt you all the more just because of that." she said, looking at him calmly.

"If I mattered that much to you, you wouldn't have hugged that other guy like you did." he said, as equally calm. She felt herself letting go again, and the ice behind her melted, the water running slowly down the stairs, making her feet and the hem of her skirt wet. Link cast it a quick glance before he continued, "I knew I should have killed him in the Water Temple. But I was stupid, and now look what my mistake lead to. I hope he makes you happy, because I have to go up there. Not because of Zelda, but because the Goddesses chose me, and nothing you can say will stop me. And if what you said about your dad is true, well... lets just hope they picked the right hero for the job."

Without another word he let go, and began slowly up the stairs, as if he expected her to run up and stop him again. Samantha stood still with her back to him, facing the way downstairs.

"Link?"

She could hear him pause, "Yeah?"

Turning slowly, she walked up the stairs to stand in front of him. Reaching up, she took his face into her hands, "Please don't hurt him. He's my dad, and the only family I have left. I love him. And..." she paused, and wrapped her arms up around his neck. "I love you. Dark is just my friend. I hugged him because I was scared of facing you and Zelda, and he's been my best friend since we were little. I wouldn't have done it if I knew it would have hurt you this much." Sighing deeply, she pulled him closer. "Please, don't hurt him. I have to go, he's waiting for me, too."

As the music blared, she kissed him just as he had the first time in the graveyard. Before he could react, she let him go and ran up the stairs. It was a few minutes before she reached the top, where the music pounded relentlessly against her eardrums.

Stepping inside, she could almost feel the tension in the room as her dad waited. Quietly, she walked over to the organ bench where her father sat. He smiled as he saw her standing next to him, but didn't break his rhythm on the keys. Samantha stood with her back to the organ, facing the door. Her fingers were laced loosely in front of her, as the pink gem above her trembled slightly with the music swelling around it.

Wrapped in a blanket of calm, she waited.


	14. Chapter 14

When you stand completely still, you can sometimes feel your heart beating throughout your body. The rhythm of your heart pounding dutifully behind your ribs as it gives you another beat of life. Another moment to live. Samantha stood as stationary and still as any statue ever made, and watched the great iron door in front of her, waiting for it to move. She could feel the steady drumming of her heart, and it felt like her whole body was pulsing. Her muscles hadn't moved an inch since she turned to face the entrance, and they were beginning to fall asleep in mute protest. Spirals of different notes flew about the chamber, making it swell with noise, but all she could hear was the steady thud of her own heart pounding relentlessly in her ears.

_Has he left?_ She wondered to herself. She hoped he did, for both of their sakes. The man she stood beside was not known for his kindness, but she loved him just the same. The young man walking up the stairs was not known for backing down from a fight, and she loved him just as much. The impending doom of the two meeting was making her breathing become more shallow as she filled with fear and terror at the thought. Only one would arise, and the other would be gone from her life. Forever.

High above her head was the reason for everything turning out the way it was. Princess Zelda, unconsciously floating in her pink gemstone cage. Despite her hostile feelings towards the highborn female, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. Admittedly, a pink gem was a better holding place for a princess than the rusty and rat infested dungeons down below, but she was still their prisoner. Samantha cast a glance up at her, and was startled to see her wide awake and glaring back with her sky blue eyes that so closely matched the color of Link's. Blinking past the reflected light the gemstone gave off, she thought the princess had tears running down her cheeks. Embarrassed, Samantha looked back towards the door, but she could still feel the weight of the princesses eyes on the top of her head.

"Father?"

It was a moment before he replied, the music calming down into a quieter, almost soothing melody. "Yes?"

"What if the hero doesn't come?" she said, and was rewarded by a deep laugh from her father.

"He will come, do not fear. A mans pride is a easily wounded animal. The hero has to either save the princess, or forever be known as a coward. Even if all signs said he would fail, his pride would make him come." Ganondorf said with a malicious grin. "You will know one day, if you ever marry, how men react when they are challenged."

Samantha cringed inwardly at the thought of marriage, and continued once more to gaze at the iron door. It was the only thing that divided her from the man she loved, and him from his darkest foe; her father. In her head she imagined how her dad would react when he found out she loved his enemy. Would he spare him his life, for her sake? Or will Dark be right and will King Ganondorf rise up and hurt him all the more just because he cares for her as well?

Hopefully, she wouldn't need to find out.

Thunder cracked loudly outside, momentarily cutting off the heartbreaking melody. There wasn't a drop of rain in sight, but still the thunder rolled and the lightning streaked across the sky, adding a nice evil dramatic effect to her fathers already ominous castle.

Her thoughts wandered over to Link, and she wondered where he was for the umpteenth time since she left him standing on the staircase. It had almost been a half hour since her departure, and worry was getting the best of her. There were bound to be many obstacles in his way, yes, but she still didn't think it would take him as long as it currently was. He was an expert swordsman, and her fathers guards weren't necessarily the brightest bunch of monsters one had ever seen. Maybe he stood on the other side of the heavy iron door, contemplating whether to go inside or not. It was unlikely, but it gave Samantha a small sliver of hope that silenced her aching muscles and allowed her to continue her silent vigil.

"Samantha." her father said suddenly, voice raised so as to be heard over the music.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Could you go and see what's taking our little hero so long? I know for a fact he has entered the castle and hasn't left, he should have came storming heroically through that door by now. Maybe one of the Stalfos got the better of him..."

"Sure, I'll be right back." she promptly replied. It took all her self control not to sprint to the door, but walk with a calm pace instead. Though as soon as the sound of the door slamming shut behind her echoed throughout the winding red staircase, she took the stair three at a time. She was just about at the bottom when she heard the sound of heavy booted footsteps coming towards her. _Link!_ Her mind cheered. _He's alright! _

Before he could see her standing there, she charged back up the stairs – thankful that she was part Gerudo and therefore a silent mover – and barged into the organ room. Her father turned around to look at her standing there red faced and breathing heavily.

"Bottom of the stairs." was all she said. With a triumphant laugh, Ganondorf swung back around and played louder and more vigorously than before. The sound pounded in her head, and she was momentarily confused as to what she should do. Before she could act, the door behind her flew open and her head whipped around to see Link standing there, inches from her. She swallowed back the sudden rush of fear, and stepped aside to let him pass. He barely looked at her as she moved, his eyes were fixated on the Gerudo King.

"We were becoming worried you wouldn't make it." Ganondorf said, the music cutting off so abruptly that the sudden silence was worse than the previous deafening noise.

"Your greeters wouldn't let me be." Link replied with a smile. "I had a feeling that if I possessed a coat, they would have taken it under the false pretense of hanging it up, but would secretly pee on it and roll it around in the mud before giving it back. Might want to rehire some new lackeys either way, because they're all scattered bones now."

Samantha smiled, but quickly put back on an expressionless mask. She thought her father would kill him right then and there by the look on his face, but to Samantha's surprise, he threw back his head in laughter. If Link was as surprised as Samantha, he hid it well.

"Hyrules little hero has a sense of humor, how pleasing. I hate when people can't take a joke, it's rather annoying." her father replied. If she hadn't known any better, they could have been old friends having a conversation. But sadly, she did know better, and there was no mistaking her fathers evil smile.

Links gaze moved lazily up to where Zelda was held captive. Samantha looked up slyly, trying not to make Zelda catch her looking again. The princess was free of tears, and her face held a solemn look, as she gave a small but very noticeable nod. She heard Link breath out a sigh, and a cold chill ran down her spine, afraid of what that nod meant.

Ganondorf stood up to his full height, and looked down at the hero. His blood red cape swept lightly across the carpet with every breath, and his massive hands balled into fists. "I see you and I have nothing more to say."

"I have a hell of a lot to say, but I figure they would be better left unsaid." Link said, still smiling lazily at her father.

"Come now boy, I want to hear your last words." he replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"No.. No... It would be best if we just get on with it. Besides, either way I can't do anything but fight you, whether you listen to my last words or not."

"Speak, hero." the Gerudo King demanded, clearly becoming agitated by Links easygoing nature towards his magnificent self. "I would like to remember you fondly, but your lack of cooperation angers me. Say your last words, and maybe one day I shall repeat them to my enslaved empire so that they may know what their precious Hero of Time was thinking about in his last moments alive."

"Well," Link laughed. "When you put it like that, who am I to refuse." he took a step forwards, his smile still plastered onto his face. Ganondorf grinned right back expectantly, obviously waiting and expecting a large speech about how good always conquers evil, and that the goddesses would never let such a man as himself rule over their blessed land of Hyrule.

"Get on with it, boy." Ganondorf said after a moment, his expectant grin fading as Link stood there gazing up fearlessly, as if he wasn't affected by him at all.

"You want to know what you can tell all those innocent people when you 'rule' over them?" he asked.

Her father nodded.

"You can tell them that the Hero of Time is in love with your daughter. And that the reason I'm standing right here, face to face with you, is because of her. She's one of the main reasons I dragged myself through all of those horrid temples, and the reason I came up here without a second thought." he had lost the smile somewhere during his speech, and now met her fathers emotionless glare with a serious expression. "When she told me that you were her father, I almost didn't believe her. Not because I didn't want to believe it, but because I couldn't help but wonder, how had such a beautiful and kind person come from such an evil and malicious man?"

Ganondorf's large nostrils were flaring, an obvious sign that he was enraged and about to blow his top. Samantha stood stark still, silently begging whatever greater power was listening to not let him hurt Link, or her, for that matter.

"You see, all my success came from her, and her admirable determination to never give up, no matter how many times she got knocked down." Link continued, ignoring her fathers rage. "And I'm fighting for Hyrule, yes, but I'm also fighting for her. You sent an innocent young girl to kill me, you made her think that what your doing was right. Your empire, as you put it, will never accept her, because they won't see the person I see. In their eyes, she will always be the Evil Kings daughter. No person deserves that, and I swear on my life I'm going to fight for her future, as well the future of the land she calls home."

Link let out a deep sigh, his smile back. "Shall we?"

Her father glared, taking in his words. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead let out a tremendous roar, and jumped at Link, fist raised and alive with purple flame. Link jumped back expertly, as if he already predicted what he would do. Landing catlike next to her, he turned to give her a huge grin.

"He's gonna kill you for that." She said.

"Oh, I know. Not like he wasn't going to before." he looked over at the Gerudo King who stood huffing and puffing in the center of the room, glaring at him with more hate than Samantha had ever seen.

"Try and stay out of harms way." Link said, and grabbed her, giving her a quick kiss. Her fathers rage exploded, and he slammed his fist into the ground, and the floor cracked and shattered.

"He's gonna make it slow and painful now. Good job."

"Worth it." he grinned at her before jumping back.

The floor beneath their feet was rumbling, and breaking. Some sections had completely fallen away, leaving a square platform in the middle of the room where her father stood. From her vantage point, she could see the floor of the room below them, farther down than she would have liked.

Link was standing off to her right, the Master Sword already held tightly in his left hand. Grinning over at her father, he seemed completely at ease, as if it was any other temple foe. That still didn't quiet her worry, because her father still stood in the center of the room, raging.

"You foolish boy!" he roared, the floor around him still falling away section by section. The small ring of floor that she and Link stood on was becoming smaller by the minute. Soon they wouldn't have anywhere to stand at all. "You _dare_ touch my daughter? I'll have your head for that, little hero!"

The mad King raised his hand and the light seemed to drain from the room, swelling up into a ball pulsating in his palm. He threw it with all his might with a loud "_Ha!_" and it flew straight at where Link was previously standing. He had dodged it and now stood laughing against the far wall, diagonal from Samantha.

The sound of his laughter seemed to drive Ganondorf on, and he spun to face the boy, cape flying out behind him. Link ceased his laughter and stood to face him, twirling his sword with his one hand. Her father took no pause, but instantaneously made another ball, and attempted another hit. But the hero dogged his every move, and was gone from line of fire the second it left his hand. He now stood completely opposite Samantha, and smiled when he saw her standing there, eyes wide with fear.

Ganondorf continued his pursuit, taking a different tactic. With a loud roar, he slammed his fist into the ground, and the room trembled. The floor shuddered and broke, leaving only the corner patches holding on meekly to the wall. The great organ gave way with a thunderous groan, the fixtures ripping away to fall down below. It screamed out as it fell, filling the room with it's death cry. The crash as it exploded upon the floor below was louder than any noise she had heard so far, and she covered her ears with her hands, instinctively dropping to her knees as the beasts final notes rang out and died.

Link was looking at her, worried she had gotten hurt. He stood with the tip of his sword resting lightly on the ground, his mouth open as if he were about to say something. Her father screamed, eyes upon the ruins of his organ.

"This is your fault!" he said, all but shaking with rage.

Link regained himself, "You were the one who broke the floor, so it's your fault."

"Dad." Samantha said, stepping forward. Neither of them were making threatening motions towards each other, and the still silence of the room was terrifying. "Stop. Please."

"_BE QUIET, Samantha!_" he thundered. He had never yelled at her before, not once in her life had her father ever raised his voice at her. She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes, and quickly turned away. By accident, her foot stepped onto a lose patch of floor, and it crumbled beneath her. She shrieked as the entire platform gave way, and slanted downwards. The final second before it fell, she dug her fingers into the carpet for something to hold onto.

"Link!" she screamed, thinking of her last fall in the volcano. The platform gave and a large crack ran through it's center, dividing it. Paralyzed with fear, the world around her came into clear detail, and she could see each little ivory key that had once been neatly arranged on the organ scattered about it's ruin as she hurtled down towards it.

"_NOOO_!" someone screamed far above her head. The floor and wreckage was about to engulf her and her small section of floor - or roof, depending how one looked at it - when a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her in towards them tightly. They both slammed into the floor, her savior taking most of the hit. Startled, Samantha looked up expecting to see Link holding her, having made a heroic dive as she fell. But instead she looked in to her dads scared face.

"Dad?" she tried to cough out, but dust filled her lungs, as a loud yell and a crash echoed behind her. She turned around in Ganondorf's strong grip to look at Link standing up, a puff of dust swirling around him and covering his clothes.

"Oh god, are you alright?" he said, taking a hesitant step towards her, hand partially outstretched.

"Yes, I'm fine." she said, turning back to her father. "Why did you catch me?"

He looked at he confused, "You were falling. You were going to get hurt." he said simply.

"I thought you were mad?" she said shyly.

"Why on earth would I ever be mad at you?"

"Because..." she said, turning around to look at Link again. To her surprise, he wasn't there anymore. Not thinking anything of it, she hopped down from her fathers arms and stood facing him. "I thought..." her words seemed pointless without Link there, so she just leaned forward and hugged her dad tightly.

"I'm sorry." she said. After a moments hesitation, her father hugged her back. When she let go, he was smiling at her, his previous black rage a thing of the past.

Her thoughts wandered over to Link and wondered where he had gone off to, but before she could ponder it further, Ganondorf began to cough. Samantha looked up at him curiously, as his massive hands clawed around his throat as he struggled for swept over her, but it soon turned into terror as her fell to his knees, his coughing bringing up mass amounts of blood.

Standing behind her father was Link, an apologetic expression on his face. She didn't understand what had happened until she saw that his sword was out again, held loosely in his hand. The length of the sword was covered in scarlet blood, and it ran down to the tip where a small red pool was forming.

She dropped to her knees, "Dad?"

He coughed and looked slowly up at her, his eyes distant.

"Dad! _No! Please_!" she shrieked, hugging him tightly. He weakly made to hug her back, but couldn't find the strength to raise his massive arms. He gave up and collapsed against her, his weight making her tremble.

"_DAD!_" she yelled in his ear one last time, before he tumbled over on to the ground and remained still. She shook him, lost for words other than repeating "Dad..." over and over again.

"Samantha..." Link said softly behind her. "I'm sorry, but I had to... You know that.. I'm sorry.." he said, and pulled her back against him.

She refused to move, "_No! _My dad..." He pulled her back once again, arms wrapped tightly around her middle, but she still persisted and continued to shake her dad feebly. Link lost his balance and fell backwards into a sitting position, dragging her with him. She struggled to get back to her father, but he refused to let go, quietly pleading in her ear to calm down.

He reached around to wipe tears off of her face, and only then did she calm down. She hadn't even realized she was crying, but now that she knew, she broke. Burying her face against him, she cried hysterically, her dead father silently watching her. Link rubbed her back, hoping to calm her down, but the tears persisted.

"Dad..." Samantha whimpered again, clutching onto Link tightly.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't mean for you to have to see him like that..."

"_Why_... Dad.." she said through a fresh wave of tears. Fighting through them she broke out of Link's hug and crawled over to the fallen Lord Ganondorf. She gave him one last hoping shake before undoing his blood red cape, and wrapping it around herself like an overlarge blanket. She wiped her tears on the hem, and turned around to look at the sad hero sitting quietly behind her.

"He was my dad..." she whispered, standing up.

Link stood up as well, "I know.." he said, reaching out his hand, palm up.

"Don't touch me." she said expressionlessly.

He froze. "I... What?" he stammered.

"Don't come near me." she said louder.

Before he could react, Samantha turned and ran off as fast as she could, still clutching her fathers red blood stained cape. The black castle began to shake and crumble to ruins around the hero, as he stood over the body of the fallen Evil King.


	15. Chapter 15

The torches flared up as she flew by, lighting up the staircase with a warm red glow. She hated it. All she wanted was darkness, somewhere to hide away, but the flames danced even higher at her presence. The castle around her trembled and shook, making dust and debris fall from the ceiling like grotesque rain. The red cape that had belonged to her father was flowing out behind her, for she still held it tightly around herself, unable to let go.

Watching her father fall had made her world come crashing down around her, like the black castle as it died. She could still see his smile, the instant before his life was taken away by a silent sword stroke. In mute shock, she had ran away. Incapable of facing her problems. Her inherited power flowed through the castle like her fathers had before he died, like a beat of an invisible heart, and it reacted to her distress, bringing the blackened stone down upon them all.

Head clouded with various emotions, she accidentally tripped and fell head first down the stairs. Slamming down onto the landing, she looked around herself to realize she was barred in. Scrambling to her feet, she slammed into the first set of bars, willing them to move. When they didn't budge, she let lose a wave of fire, making the bars turn white hot. With a sharp pull, she drove them apart wide enough to squeeze through. Continuing her frantic running, a though popped into her head and she paused. Naloa and Dark were still in her room, completely oblivious. She had to get to them. And fast.

About to flee again, she heard a voice calling her name from behind. For a wild instant she let herself hope and believe that it was her dad calling, but was crushed when she realized it wasn't. There were two sets of voices now, a male and female. In her hysterical state, she thought that Naloa and Dark had gone upstairs to find her. Turning about, she charged back up, and ran face first into the now cooled bars blocking the entry.

It was a moment before the voices owners came into view, and Samantha was once again crushed to see that it wasn't her two friends after all, but Link and Zelda running down towards her.

"Samantha, wait!" Link called walking towards her, as Zelda paused to give the room a quick glance.

"No.." Samantha said, the thought of her friends being buried beneath the castle filling her head. "Naloa... Dark.." she spun around and sprinted back down the stairs, ignoring the hero's distressed calls. The journey down was relatively smooth, and when she reached her bedroom, she nearly ripped the door free of it's hinges in her haste.

The room was free of life. Though the walls shook violently, there was no damage so far. Spying a piece of paper sitting on the deep red blankets of her bed, Samantha went over to investigate. It was a note, written in Naloa's messy writing, saying they left to go back to the Gerudo Fortress. A cold blanket of relief covered her but it was short lived because now that she knew her friends had the sense to escape, she started to worry about Link trapped upstairs with the princess.

Samantha closed her eyes. Ever since she was a kid and nearly drowned, her anxiety tolerance had hit rock bottom. Breathing as deep as she dared with the dirt filled air around her, she though about the calm sands of the desert. When she felt in control again, she went back to them.

Link was beating helplessly at the bars, while the princess kept a watch out for falling debris. Focusing like her father used to, she willed the bars to go up. This time they responded to her, and sped upwards, but stopping halfway because of her bending them. Link looked at her speechless for a second, but then regained himself and called for Zelda to come. All together, they traveled down to the ground and Link made to go through the front entrance, until a large stone fell from above, blocking their path.

Samantha didn't miss a beat, "Come. There is a back way."

She went on without looking back to make sure they followed. They had to travel back into the main chamber to reach it, and she could hear them talking in hushed tones behind her. Ignoring the icy feeling in her stomach, she made a sharp right through a hidden passage behind a big red drape.

"Samantha? Where'd you go?" Link called from behind, his voice slightly muffled from the thick drape. Sighing, she turned around and went back to them, sweeping aside the drape to reveal the passage. They quickly followed, and soon came upon a short bridge suspended over a gap between the tower and the outer walls.

A curious ReDead looked up as they walked by, making Zelda gasp and walk close behind Link, blocked from it's view. Samantha could see the exit, a grand archway of a door, blocked off by thick iron bars. They flew up out of the way, and she could feel the heat of the lava outside.

A sudden urge filled her, and she stopped. The castle around her was rumbling, as if angry. She thought of Ganondorf. He still lay up in the ruins of the organ room, all alone. It wasn't a fit final resting place, even if he was evil.

Her eyes began to sting with the threat of tears. She wordlessly pointed to the exit as Link and Zelda caught up to her.

"Finally." Zelda said exasperated, picking up her skirts and leaving Samantha and Link alone.

"Are you coming?" he asked when she didn't make to move to the door.

"No."

"Why? You cant stay here!"

"I don't want to go out there." she said, taking a deep breath. "You should go, before the exit gets blocked."

"No, I'm not leaving you here." He walked up beside her, back to the door. "Why in hell would you want to stay? The castle is falling, you'll die!"

"I can't leave him." Samantha said, fighting back tears.

He frowned, "I know." He ran his hand along the red cape, now clutched tightly in her arms like a child holding their favorite blanket. "But you can't stay. Come, before we get trapped."

She looked at him, and could tell by the look in his eyes that he was sorry. That still didn't stop the icy feeling in the pit of her stomach, that wanted to lash out and start screaming and crying. Link stood quietly, waiting. He glanced nervously up at the ceiling, where a large crack was visibly forming from the shaking. Samantha made up her mind in that instant.

Shoving with all her might, Samantha pushed Link backwards, and he fell just on the other side of the door. Before he could get up, she made the bars slam back down into place, dividing them. Link stood up cursing and holding his shoulder, looking at her through the bars.

"Go!" Samantha said.

"Move these bars!" he yelled, gripping them tightly.

"Go." she repeated. "Live out your life. You did it. He's dead. So go with the princess, she will need help rebuilding the new castle when this one has finally collapsed."

"It's not going to collapse with you inside!" he roared, grip tightening on the bars. Samantha moved and put her smaller hands over his.

"Its going to, because I'm not leaving. For seven long years I sat in this very castle, wondering what would be the outcome of this.. Of everything." she paused, and smiled. "Did you know I would go to the Temple of Time every year on your birthday, hoping you would magically be standing there? My dad hated it. He would always try to distract me. Make me forget. But I never did, because I just knew _one day_ you _would_ be standing there." she stepped back, moving her hands away. "I can't leave knowing he's up there all alone... I won't leave him to be buried underneath all this rubble. He was evil, I know, but he's the only dad I got. And now he's gone.."

It was a moment before Link replied, and she could hear the crashed of her home falling behind her. In the noise, she thought she heard a roaring, like some great beast within the heart of the castle was awoken by all the noise.

"Don't go. Please, I will help you look for him afterward. I swear. The castle won't be standing for much longer, you'll be crushed before you reach him. Just come with me." he reached his hand through the bars, willing her to take it.

After a moments pause as she let his words sink in, she took it, and the bars once again jumped into the ceiling. He pulled her into a tight hug before taking her hand again and running outside, away from the chaos. Princess Zelda was sitting on a fallen pillar, catching her breath as she waited for them.

"About time you guys came!" she said angrily, dusting off her skirts and standing up.

"We ran into a dilemma." Link said without further explanation. Samantha ignored them and turned to watch the great castle fall. They were far enough away from the danger area, but still stood upon the floating platform. The familiar hiss and bubble of the lava below was making her think of how much she would honestly miss the place.

Many of her days since she was ten were spent in and about the castle, playing games with Dark or just following her dad around. A distinct memory stood out in her head. She had been only thirteen at the time, and her dads birthday was that day. She and Dark had gone down into the grand castle kitchens and attempted feebly to bake a cake. Unsure of how to proceed, they mixed everything they had together but soon realized it wasn't going to work out the way they planned.

Half way through the process they gave up and had a food fight, eggs and batter flying about the room as they housed their own food war. During that time, Ganondorf had wondered what they were up to and came down to investigate. Upon the sight of him, They hid behind the large island counter, hoping he wouldn't spot them and get angry at the mess.

Thinking he left, they peeked around to see if he was still there. Standing in the door frame, he laughed when he saw them looking out from their hiding spot.

"What's going on?" he asked.

They blushed, "We tried to bake you a cake..."

Her father gave a huge grin, and picked up an untouched egg. "Who won the fight?"

They looked at him confused. With a quick flick of the wrist, the egg left his hand and smacked Dark in the head. The egg cracked upon impact, covering an already dirty Dark in egg guts. Laughing louder than she had ever heard him before, Ganondorf walked over to them.

She gave him a hug, "Happy Birthday, Dad! Sorry your cake was... Well it never really was a cake at all."

He hugged her back. "It doesn't matter. Thank you."

"Love you, Dad." she said, as Dark walked up behind them and cracked three eggs over Ganondorf's head. He turned around slowly to look at him, then broke out into a malicious grin.

"This means war." he said, releasing her and picking up a bag of flour. Ripping it open, he poured it on Dark, making his black clothing and hair turn white. Laughing, they spent the rest of the morning playing in the kitchens. Later that night, he told Samantha that it was one of the best present he could have received. It was one of her favorite memories, and now that's all it would be, because the home it had taken place in was crashing down, almost completely gone.

The shaking was almost done taking it's toll. The castle walls crashed and fell down over the sides of the floating platform, crashing into the lava below. It splashed up ferociously, splattering the area around them, casting everything with fiery red glow before it ate through the stone. Soon enough, only random blocks of large black stone were standing. A large pile of rubble was sitting in the center, remnants of the inner tower. She could see bits and pieces of the organ mixed in.

The lava below swallowed the last bits of her home.

Silently, Samantha turned around and walked to the edge, looking down into the red lake below. There was a slight breeze, making the steam blow away from her face. Taking a deep breath, she held out her arms in front of her, still clutching the red cape. She let it go. It trailed lightly, fluttering open on the way down before instantaneously burning up in the fires below. Link walked up silently behind her.

"Why did you do that?"

She could feel a tear sliding down her cheek, and wiped it away. "I don't know."

Turning around, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. He hugged back wordlessly. They stood for a moment in silence, till a distant rumbling growl reached their ears. Turning to look at the heap of debris in the middle of the platform, they could see slight movement.

"Stay here." Link said, moving to investigate.

"Hell no."

He turned to look at her, "Its probably nothing, stay here with Zelda."

Reluctantly, she sat down next to Zelda on the pillar, intently watching the rubble in front of them. The other girl ignored her pointedly.

Link approached the mound cautiously, circling slowly around it. "There isn't anything here..." he said, shrugging and turning around to walk back to them. He had only taken a few steps when the ground began shaking violently, causing him to stumble. Zelda and Samantha both stood up with a gasp.

The seemingly harmless pile of rubble exploded, to reveal Ganondorf. He was kneeling on the ground and clutching his massive chest with one hand, breathing heavily. He looked up slowly at the startled hero, a expression of pure, untamed hatred covering his face.

Samantha broke out into a huge grin.

"Dad!" she said loudly, stepping forward. He moved his gaze over to her for a second before yelling out in pain and clutching his wound with both hands now. He bowed his head, and said something not comprehensible, his back rising and falling with each deep breath. Link stood up, Master Sword already in hand. A blue light was circling his head excitedly. Navi, finally coming out of hiding.

"You..." Ganondorf managed to get out before growling in pain again. Samantha ran forwards, past Link and Navi who protested loudly. Dropping to her knees next to her father, she placed a small hand over his, and was startled to see it came away red.

"I thought you were dead..." she said, hugging him tightly. He continued to clutch his chest in pain, but rested his head on hers.

"I... Hard to breath.." he said.

"Dad, I'm so sorry... We will get you to a doctor, or someone who can make you better.." she said, fighting back tears.

"Samantha, come here." she heard Link say from behind her. Turning around, she could see he had taken a few steps forward, but didn't want to go any further due to the look her angry father had given him.

She shook her head, "He's hurt, in case you forgot."

"Samantha. Something isn't right, come here, please."

"Of course something isn't right, he's dying!" she hugged him tighter, placing her hand over his cut. "Dad, are you okay to walk?"

"No.." he replied, breathing returning to a normal pace. "Sa.. Sam.. don't go..." he said, moving to give her an awkward one armed hug.

"I won't, Dad. I promise, I'm staying right here."

"Make him... make them go.. They will hurt me.." Samantha turned around again, and saw that Link still had his sword out, and was standing uncertainly with it half raised.

"Put it away." she said, and with slight hesitation, he obeyed. When the sword was away, she made a motion for him to step back. He shot her a disapproving look, but stepped back a few steps like a kicked puppy.

"Better, Dad?" she said quietly, and he nodded against her head. "It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

"Samantha..."

"What is it?"

"Does he.. Does he mean something to.. To you...?" he coughed out, relatively calm.

She was confused, "What do you mean?"

"The boy.. Do you.. Care about him.."

Samantha turned to look up at her dad's eyes, a deep yellow, so unlike her own green ones. "I.. Yeah, I do."

"Does he make you... happy?"

"Yeah, he does."

Ganondorf shifted, so now he was hugging her tightly, and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Go with him.. get somewhere safe.."

"What? Why? I'm not leaving you here, Dad!"

"I'm dying.. I can feel it.." he coughed then, adding emphasis to his words. "I love you... And I'm very proud.. But you have to go... Take care of the Gerudo.. You'll be their Queen now..." he shuddered, curling in upon himself and releasing her. "Get back..."

"Dad..?"

"If he loves you half as much as I do... He will protect you.. Now go to him, I don't feel.. I don't feel... _Right._"

"But Dad..." she began, reluctant to leave him. She could hear the silent scrape of Links boot on the ground as he shifted nervously. Ganondorf put both his fist on the ground, his back heaving in pain.

"Get her away." he grumbled, looking up slowly at Link.

"Dad, you're not well!" she said.

"Listen to me, boy." Ganondorf growled, shaking. "Something is wrong... Get her away... Keep her safe, or _I swear I will kill you if she gets hurt_..."

"Dad.."

"Come here." Link said, taking a few steps forward. She shook her head, still focused on her dad. He was still shaking, his breathing becoming heavy again.

Ganondorf turned his head to look at her, "Not safe.. I don't know what's wrong.. _Get back_!" he slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to crack. "_Boy, what did I say!_"

Link dashed forward at his words, and grabbed Samantha, dragging her back as she stared frightened at her father's trembling figure.

"What's wrong with him?" she cried, her eyes once again stinging with tears. She felt like she had cried more in that one day than her entire life so far.

"I don't know." he said in her ear, holding her around the waist. Navi was drifting silently above their heads. "But whatever it is, it's not gonna be good."

She twisted around in his grasp, "What do you mean by that?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but his words were cut off by Ganondorf's loud scream. Turning back to look, her dad was now standing up, hands still balled into fists. Shaking with either pain or rage, he pointed to where she and Link were standing.

"You ruined _everything_." he said calmly, chest heaving.

"Get behind me." Link whispered, stepping in front of her to protect her with his body. She put her hands lightly on his sides, peering around to look at her father.

"All my hard work and planning, all of it, ruined." Ganondorf continued. "You're gonna pay for what you have done to me, to my people, and also, to my family."

"I haven't done anything to your people, or to your family. The only person getting ruined here is you, and your warped thoughts towards kingship and ruling." Link replied, shifting uncomfortably.

"Silence, boy, I don't have any time for – " his sentence was cut off by a loud yell, and he fell to his knees. Samantha gasped worried, and tightened her hold on Link.

Ganondorf was writhing in pain, letting out yells and growls as he twisted. His body began to grow in size, and warp with change. Hair sprouted out all along his body, and a lizard like tail shout out from behind. His feet became hooves, covered in a thick brown fur, while his face changed to look pig like, two giant tusks curling outwards. His red hair lengthened, and in each had was a large blade, each as big and thick as Link himself. When all was said and done, he let out a snarling roar, slashing his blades together. He was larger than life, towering over them.

"Dad?" Samantha said, absolutely frightened.

Link reached behind and pushed her back, "Get away from that thing. Go as far back as you can."

"But what about you?" she protested, unable to take her eyes off the monstrous beast her father had become.

"I'll be fine, it's you I'm worried about." he pushed gently back again, taking a step backwards.

"If you die, I'm going to kill you." she threatened, turning around and running back towards Zelda who stood wide eyed with fear, and slight amazement. When she was next to the princess, the sound of crackling flames filled the air, and she turned around to see a ring of fire had pinned the hero and the beast in.

The Princess of Hyrule and the newly crowned Queen of Thieves stood and waited for the Dark Lord and the Hero of Time to cross blades in an all out death match.


End file.
